What is an ERG? How do you start an ERG? And do ERGs really increase engagement? Here are the facts.

Employee resource groups (ERGs) can be powerful drivers of social impact—but only if social impact leaders understand what they are, what they can do, and what tech tools they need to succeed. In this blog, we’ll go over some of the most frequently asked questions about ERGs, including: 

• What is an ERG?
• How to start an ERG?
• What are the best ERGs to start?
• How ERGs can increase employee engagement
• Best ERG management software 

Let’s dive into how employee communities make an impact. 

What is an ERG?

An employee resource group (ERG) is a voluntary, employee-led group that fosters a diverse, inclusive workplace. Every ERG is a professional network that brings together employees with shared characteristics, experiences, or interests, creating supportive communities within organizations. Typically, ERGs represent various dimensions of diversity, including race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, veterans, and other underrepresented groups, although they can also represent hobbies, sports, or other interest areas.

ERGs serve multiple purposes:

• Provide a sense of belonging and support for employees
• Create networking and professional development opportunities
• Offer insights to leadership about workplace culture and employee experiences
• Support recruitment and retention efforts
• Contribute to the organization's diversity and inclusion strategy
• Enable employees to serve in leadership roles among their peers outside of their daily work

How to Start an ERG

Starting an effective ERG requires strategic planning and organizational support. Here are key steps:

Identify Need and Interest  

• Conduct employee surveys
• Assess demographic data
• Gauge potential membership and leadership support

Develop a Clear Charter  

• Define group purpose
• Establish goals and metrics
• Create governance structure

• Present business case
• Seek executive sponsorship
• Obtain resources and formal recognition

What are the best ERGs to start? 

The number and focus of ERGs will vary from company to company. Companies will often send out employee surveys or an open call for employee resource groups. Here are some popular and effective ERGs: 

• Women's Leadership Network
• LGBTQIA+ Inclusion Group
• Racial and Ethnic Diversity Group
• Disability Advocacy Network
• Multigenerational Employee Network
• Veterans Support Group

How ERGs Can Increase Employee Engagement

ERGs are powerful drivers of employee engagement:

Improved Retention

Research shows that companies with robust ERGs are seeing 20 percent lower employee turnover rates. 

Enhanced Belonging

Sixty-six percent of employees believe that their ERG is effective at fostering a sense of community.

Professional Development

ERG members often receive mentorship and leadership opportunities.

Innovation

Diverse perspectives drive creativity and problem-solving.

Recruitment

ERGs help attract diverse talent by showcasing inclusive culture.

Best ERG Management Software to Maximize Social Impact

Here are the top ERG management platforms to maximize impact in 2025:

Deed

Deed is a workplace giving and volunteering platform that has excellent ERG management software built-in. In addition to robust employee donation and volunteering access, Deed’s Communities offering gives ERGs a digital place to gather for event planning, communications, photo sharing, and more. With Deed, ERGs are a core component of the platform’s unified engagement solution—same platform, same login, same great UX. Deed is where employee engagement meets social impact.

Chezie

Chezie is an ERG management platform that helps ERG leaders manage membership, budgets, and events.

 
The platform does not have any fundraising or volunteering components.


Diverst/MentorcliQ 

MentorcliQ’s ERG management software, Diverse, helps ERG leaders manage membership, budgets, and events, with a focus on DEI and mentorship. 

The platform does not have any fundraising or volunteering components

Key features to look for:

• Unified platform without separate logins
• Member communication tools
• Event planning capabilities
• Engagement tracking
• Reporting and analytics
• Integration with existing HR systems

Deed Communities

Deed Communities is a virtual home for your employee resource groups. With Communities, your ERGs can organize great events and fundraisers—and inspire each other to do good deeds! Here are some of the key features:

Same platform as employee giving and volunteering

Whether your team wants to learn together, volunteer together, donate together, or just spend quality time together, they can do it all on the Deed website and mobile app. 

Optimized for each unique group

Deed Communities is a purpose-driven social network complete with personalized feeds, where community members can find new, relevant ways to contribute to their most-loved cause. 

Easy administration

From adding new members to running memorable events, Communities is designed for ease of use so you can focus on what matters.

Dashboards and reports

With our Communities dashboards and reports, you can track employee participation, donation and volunteering totals, and more.

Included in your subscription

Impact-forward companies are already paying for powerful workplace giving and volunteering technology, so you shouldn’t have to pay extra to get your team engaged online. 

Taking Your ERGs Even Further in 2025 and Beyond

Employee resource groups are more than networking groups—they're strategic partners in creating inclusive, high-performing organizations. By investing in ERGs, companies can transform workplace culture, drive engagement, and unlock the full potential of their diverse workforce. So how can you leverage ERGs to make a bigger impact?

Deed is an enterprise social impact platform that makes it fun and easy for millions of employees to share their time, money, and talent with causes they care about. We started as a viral volunteering app, and today we offer some of the world’s most inspiring brands—from Airbnb to lululemon—one exceptionally designed home for all of their employee engagement and purpose-driven activities. These include employee resource groups (ERGs); workplace giving and donation matching (including payroll donations); grantmaking; employee volunteer programs; diversity, equity, and inclusion; a network of over 2 million nonprofits; and more. With a global reach that includes 37+ local currencies and 12+ native languages, Fortune 500 companies are using Deed to make an impact all over the world. 

Over the past three to five years, everyone’s expectations for Fortune 500 corporate social responsibility have radically changed. Deed is a nimble and flexible partner to some of the world’s largest and most inspiring purpose-driven organizations. Our tight-knit ecosystem of trusted technology providers including Workday and PayPal helps us to integrate with new clients quickly. With your dedicated partner success manager by your side from day one, Deed’s CSR platform moves at the speed of work. 

Ready to explore how Deed can transform your corporate giving program? Our CSR software specialists are available to discuss your unique needs and demonstrate how our platform can help you achieve your social impact goals while delivering an exceptional experience for your employees. Request a demo today.