Run Your ERG Program Like a Business—But Know Who Your Real Customer Is
This is the difference between an ERG Program on track for success or for failure...
Let's talk about what it actually means to run your ERG program like a business. This approach is all about smooth operations and increased impact. But it starts with a crucial question:
Who's the customer of your ERG program?
Hot take: your business / the company is NOT the customer of your ERG program. In fact, if you're treating it like a real business, you should know your customer inside and out — and it's not the corporate departments or various business units.
The roles, broken down
There are three groups people tend to mix up. Get these straight and a lot of your program's confusion goes away.
The customer = employees
The employees are the true customer of your ERG program. ERGs exist to improve the employee experience through tailored engagement, development, and social impact opportunities designed for underrepresented groups. This program is ultimately about employee engagement, not just delivering on business objectives.
The board of directors = executives
Think of your executives as the board of directors for your ERG program. They influence direction and can provide valuable perspective — but just like a board, they may need to be educated on your program's purpose and how it operates. If they don't fully understand what your ERG program is, they'll struggle to trust its impact. This is where strong, clear communication comes in.
The partners = business units
If you choose to work with business units, consider them potential partnerships, not customers. These partnerships are strategic — meant to expand your reach and support your target customers (employees). Just like in any business, not every partnership will be a perfect fit. So focus on the ones that help you serve your employee audience, and say no to the rest that put undue burden on your volunteer leads.
The mistake people keep making
It's crucial that we clearly define who we're talking about when we say the business. There are two very different groups here, and conflating them creates a lot of unnecessary confusion:
- Business units are partners for your ERG program. These partnerships can amplify your program's reach and help engage employees in meaningful ways.
- Executives are your board of directors. Just like a real board, they help shape the program's direction, and you need to be in sync with their understanding of its purpose.
Now, the biggest mistake I see: confusing your board of directors with your actual customer. When you treat executives as the customer, you're headed down a path many real businesses fail on — focusing on the wrong audience. In this case, that path risks failure of your ERG program, because you're ignoring the people who need it most: employees.
Why this matters right now
Right now, employees need these niche engagement experiences. They need belonging. They need community. Yet when you make employees an afterthought or a "side note," the program loses its relevance and impact. Imagine depriving employees of that sense of belonging because they were deprioritized to serve a currently obscure version of "the business." What a huge mistake.