Whether you lead a well-established Employee Resource Group or are just getting started, member engagement is one of the hardest parts of building community. To get the lay of the land, we spoke to a handful of ERG leaders across the globe to hear how they engage their members. 

Annie Wood, a member of Dragon FUEL (Fun, Unique, Engaging Learning) at Minnesota State University (and a CLT member of Cultivators Community), takes a creative approach to member engagement. "[Since] I work at a University," Annie says, "We often talk about lifelong learning and aim to engage employees in continuing to grow and learn."

Annie collaborates with others across campus to host events that live up to the titular acronym. At Minnesota State University, every second Friday of the month is "Fuel Up Friday," where employees share their gifts, talents, and interests with their community. "Sometimes it's job-related or professional development related, and other times it's more fun, like showcasing someone who loves baking."

Other events put on by Dragon FUEL for their fellow dragons include Join Us in July, a weekly, themed event designed to energize university employees who have spent the last year or more working remotely. The idea is to encourage employees to interact with one another. Oh, and "of course folks are encouraged to attend with some free snacks and a chance at prizes for completing activities," Annie adds. 

Intentionally designed events that people want to attend are a great way to increase member engagement. You might be asking–how can I design events intentionally online? An ERG leader at a construction management software mentioned virtual happy hours & carving out time for GTKY (Get To Know You) calls were critical components of their virtual community member experience. A Pride ERG leader at a multinational electronics company recently hosted a pride art gallery, a "what does pride mean to you" storytelling event, and a drag lip-sync face-off event– all virtually!

At Highmark Health, Penny Schnarrs engaged her Mission Vision Pack ERG by connecting members' personal purpose with the organization's purpose. This grassroots group helps staff stay connected to the mission and vision of the organization authentically. New members pair with "guides" who help them integrate into the group and write their personal purpose statements. Everyone is encouraged to share their 'why' at meetings with speakers, executives, or group members. These missions are then collected and displayed on the group's intranet site. On the intranet, anyone in the organization can access toolkits, podcast recordings, training, and other tools to connect with their 'why.' 

Other engagement tactics we heard from Employee Resource Group leaders:

• Recurring, capped meetings with executives for more intimate conversation

• Lunch and learns to educate on community-relevant acronyms

• Partnership events with local non-profit organizations

• Yearly ERG 'mission check' meetings to calibrate group goals to current member needs

• Executive sponsored book club meetings

• Mentor and reverse-mentor programs in and outside of ERG

• Connection events between local students and ERG members

• Election of ERG leadership positions

• Implementing social media campaigns related to group news & achievements

• Monthly newsletters as a “touch point” for less engaged members

What have you been doing to boost member engagement? Tweet @ us.

Interested in learning more about increasing Employee Resource Group engagement? Consider joining our Cultivators Community on Slack to keep the conversation going.

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