Hey Champs 🏆️

I’ve been debating this week’s newsletter topic, and as we approach week 13 of being consistent 🎉, I can’t just leave you all hanging! But I wanted to share a peek behind the curtain—what my typical Tuesday night looks like.

You see, for some reason, I’ve set it up so that on Tuesday nights, I get Google alerts about all things ERG-related. And honestly? I’m tempted to turn them off. The confusion, negativity, and misinformation is rampant.

Here’s how it usually goes: Today’s Google alert? I saw a post claiming that ERGs are the next thing being targeted after DEI. Naturally, I clicked on it. The article wasn’t bad, but there was definitely some information that I don’t agree with. Especially the part suggesting that ERGs being about belonging is not enough, incredibly frustrating to read. So, naturally, I started writing an angry LinkedIn post… and then deleted it because I know better than to post out of strong emotions.

After some food and a little time to cool off, I came back ready to try again at writing this newsletter. But then, bam! Another alert in my email (this time for “ERG” instead of “Employee Resource Group.” This one was about Lowe’s allegedly converting all their ERGs into one singular group. They’ve always had a pretty solid program (though you all know how I feel about the BRG vs. ERG thing), but now it seems they’re truly dialing back their ERG initiatives, which raises a lot of thoughts and feelings. It’s a bit overwhelming, to be honest. Do people not see that this is actually a reality for ERGs? I have so much to say, but where do I start? And do I even want to focus on the negativity?

I mean, yes, we should be aware of what’s happening in the ERG space—there’s a lot going on out there, and maybe then you’d understand why I’m so passionate about this work. Why I’ve spent the last few years trying to correct the path ERGs are on. Because, trust me, if things keep going this way, it’s only going to get worse.

I actually talked about this earlier in my session on data visualization. (Shout out to the 80 folks who joined—if you missed it, the recording is available in the ERG Champs Community.) During the session, I shared a screenshot of some major pain points people are facing in the ERG space, and let me tell you, it’s concerning. But I’m not going to let this newsletter dwell on that.

Instead, here’s what I want to emphasize: If your ERG doesn’t have its data together, you’re making it easier for your program to be disbanded. Remember the 3 Ps—Purpose, Process, and Programming. Your data is crucial, but so is having a clear purpose and solid processes. These are the keys to driving your program vision forward.

So, here’s the deal—Data Month is officially wrapping up this week, and I’m excited to shift gears and focus on community next month. But before we dive into that, I’ve gathered all the data resources I’ve shared with you over the past two months, and I hope you find them helpful.

Template & Course:

• Data Collection System Mini Course + Template

Videos: 

• Data Collection & Dashboards 101 for Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

• RANKING ERG METRICS ON A TIER LIST

• Watch This Before Selecting Your ERG Metrics: 64 Minutes Answering Your Questions on ERG Data

Articles: 

• Where to Start When It’s Time to Take Your ERG Data to the Next Level

• EXPLAINED: The ERG Metric Triangle

• Mastering the ERG Event Engagement Score (EES)

• The Member Engagement Scores (MES) of ERGs Explained

• Understanding and Calculating Your ERG Communications Channel Engagement

• Ranking Every ERG Metric from Best to Worst

Hope this helps - Catch you next week.

- The ERG Homegirl ♥

New Video Alert

That’s it for this week! 🙌

Weeks of consistent newsletters: 13 🎊