Supporting Your Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) Year Round
By David Musolf, Give2Get, CVC-TC MarComm Committee Member
I was just at an event for Subaru of North America. At their national training event, they incorporated a large social impact event for Subaru employees as part of the conference - but with a unique twist. Instead of focusing on one cause, or dialing into one CSR pillar, the company called on their Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to help design and fund 5 individual programs supporting local nonprofits that aligned with the goals of each ERG. The result was not only impactful volunteering, but also great exposure for the ERGs by showcasing the great work that they do.
This got me to thinking about how Twin Cities companies might leverage their ERGs to partner on volunteerism projects in their companies. CVC-TC members come from companies of sizes and are at different places in the journey with ERGs. Maybe you’re already partnering with your ERGs, or maybe you want to, but are unsure how to get started. Here are a few ideas to consider when partnering with ERGs and supporting causes that are important to your employees.
ERGs are effective in helping diverse groups gain a stronger collective voice within a corporate environment. They also help provide leadership opportunities and inclusivity among employees who may feel marginalized or overlooked from unconscious bias. Best of all, these groups help shine a light on issues in the community that impact them on a daily basis. Because of this, ERGs are a great resource to help highlight, promote, and fund volunteering opportunities throughout the year.
Here are some key times throughout the year to consider when working with ERGs to identify volunteering opportunities.
February: Black History Month, Susan B. Anthony Birthday (2/15)
March: Women’s History Month, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (3/21), Start of Ramadan (3/22-4/21)
April: Celebrate Diversity Month, Earth Day (4/22)
May: Asian American Pacific Islander Awareness Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Older Americans Month, Jewish American Heritage Month
June: LGBTQ Pride Month, Caribbean American Heritage Month, Juneteenth (6/19)
July: Americans with Disabilities Act (7/26)
August: International Indigenous People’s Day (8/9), Women’s Equality Day (8/26)
September: Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15-10/15), National Recovery Month, HeForShe – Gender Equity (9/20)
October: Global Diversity Awareness Month, National Disability Employee Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, World Mental Health Day (10/10), Indigenous People’s Day (10/10)
November: National American Heritage Month, Veteran’s Day (11/11)
December: International Day of Persons with Disabilities Day (12/3), International Human Rights Day (12/10)
For an even more detailed calendar of diversity events, check out the calendar here.