Your ERG leaders are already leading. Train them like it.
Most ERG leaders never applied for a leadership role.
They raised their hand because they cared. Then, almost overnight, they were running meetings, managing budgets, planning heritage month events, recruiting volunteers, presenting to executives, and navigating conversations that would challenge any seasoned manager.
All on top of their actual job.
That is real leadership work. But most ERG leaders are doing it without a single hour of leadership training.
ERG leadership training changes that. It means enrolling your leaders in online courses or workshops on skills like facilitation, project management, and inclusive leadership, so they can lead with more confidence and less burnout.
The best part? It is one of the highest-return line items in your ERG budget. The skills don't just make your ERG better. They follow your leaders into every meeting, project, and team they touch for the rest of their careers.
This guide covers what to train on, what your budget actually buys, how to pitch it, how to roll it out, and how to make sure the learning sticks.
Why ERG Leadership Training Pays Off
1. It reduces leader burnout
ERG leaders burn out fast when every meeting, plan, and conflict feels like they are figuring it out from scratch. Training gives them frameworks, so the work takes less energy.
2. It makes your programming better
A leader who knows how to facilitate runs more engaging meetings. A leader who knows project management ships events on time. Members feel the difference.
3. It builds a leadership pipeline
ERGs are one of the best leadership labs inside a company. Training turns that informal experience into real, transferable skills, and gives future managers a head start.
4. It signals that the work matters
Investing in ERG leaders tells them their volunteer work is valued, not just tolerated. That recognition goes a long way toward retention.
5. It helps with succession
When multiple people in your ERG are trained, leadership doesn't collapse when one person steps away.
What Your Budget Actually Buys
Leadership training sits in the $50–100 per person tier of an ERG budget, which goes further than most people expect. If your ERG has room to stretch, deeper programs typically run $100–500 per person.
Here is how to think about each tier:
| Budget per leader | What it typically covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| $50–100 | A self-paced online course, a short live virtual workshop, or a group seat in a hosted session | First-time leaders, building one core skill, training a full leadership team on a lean budget |
| $100–250 | A multi-session live workshop, a cohort-based course, or a bundle of 2–3 courses | Co-chairs and leads who own a big area like events or programming |
| $250–500 | An intensive certificate program, a multi-week leadership cohort, or a conference workshop | ERG chairs, long-tenured leaders, and anyone being developed for a larger role |
Pro tip: Before spending ERG dollars, check what your company already pays for. Many organizations have a learning platform, L&D stipend, or tuition benefit your leaders can tap. Use ERG funds to fill the gaps, not duplicate them.
Stretch your budget further by:
- Booking a group workshop instead of individual seats (the per-person cost often drops sharply)
- Partnering with another ERG to co-host a session and split the cost
- Asking L&D to co-fund, since ERG leaders are a natural leadership development audience
- Training one leader deeply, then having them teach back what they learned
Outside Options Worth a Look
You don't have to buy everything from one provider. These well-known options cover the core ERG skills, and most fit inside the $50–100 tier or just above it.
| Option | Skill focus | Format | Approx. cost per leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMI KICKOFF | Project management basics | Self-paced, under 1 hour, with downloadable templates | Free |
| UMN Extension: Grow Your Facilitation Skills | Facilitation | Live online, four 90-minute sessions, certificate of completion | $20–120 (pay what you can; $120 rate if using a PD budget) |
| LinkedIn Learning | Facilitation, project management, communication, leadership | Self-paced subscription library | About $40/month, or about $240/year on the annual plan |
| Coursera Plus | Project management, leadership, communication | Self-paced subscription library with certificates | $59/month; many courses can also be audited free |
| CatalystX Inclusive Leadership Professional Certificate (edX) | Inclusive leadership | Three self-paced courses over about 3 months | About $207 for the full program |
| Intentional Leadership Styles: A Journey for ERG Leaders (PMI / Skillsoft) | Built for ERG leaders: inclusion, meetings, communication, strategy | 12-hour self-paced eLearning | See PMI store (pricing varies by membership) |
Budget hack: One month of a subscription library like LinkedIn Learning or Coursera Plus fits inside the $50–100 tier. Have leaders complete a focused course or two during that month, then cancel or switch to annual if it sticks.
Prices were checked in October 2026 and change often, so confirm on each provider's site before you budget.
The Skills Worth Training On
Don't sign leaders up for generic "leadership" content. Match training to the work they actually do. These six skills cover most of what ERG leaders face.
1. Facilitation
Why it matters: ERG leaders run meetings, listening sessions, panels, and sometimes tough conversations. Good facilitation is the difference between a meeting people skip and one they look forward to.
Look for training on: designing agendas, drawing out quieter voices, managing dominant voices, handling conflict in the room, and running virtual or hybrid sessions.
2. Project Management
Why it matters: Heritage months, speaker series, volunteer days, and fundraisers are all projects, often planned by part-time volunteers across time zones.
Look for training on: scoping, timelines, delegation, simple project tracking tools, and running a debrief afterward.
3. Inclusive Leadership
Why it matters: ERGs serve members with a wide range of identities and experiences, and they increasingly welcome allies. Leaders need to create space where everyone feels they belong.
Look for training on: psychological safety, bias awareness, allyship, accessible event design, and leading across differences.
4. Communication and Influence
Why it matters: ERG leaders pitch budgets to executives, write member newsletters, and advocate for change. Clear, confident communication gets ideas funded.
Look for training on: executive presence, storytelling with data, persuasive writing, and presenting to senior leaders.
Confetti's hosted Virtual Communication Skills Workshop is a strong fit if you want to train your whole leadership team together.
5. Feedback and Difficult Conversations
Why it matters: Leaders have to give feedback to volunteers, receive criticism from members, and sometimes navigate sensitive topics during hard moments in the news.
Look for training on: giving and receiving feedback, active listening, de-escalation, and holding space without taking on everything.
Try Confetti's How to Give Feedback Seminar or Employee Listening for Leaders.
6. Strategic Planning and Measurement
Why it matters: ERGs that tie their work to business goals get more budget and executive attention.
Look for training on: goal setting, building an annual plan, choosing simple metrics, and reporting impact.
For more options, browse Confetti's Learning & Development and Respect & Leadership collections.
How to Roll It Out: Step by Step
Step 1: Start With a Skills Check
Ask your leaders where they feel least confident. Don't guess.
A quick 5-question survey (template below) will show you whether your team needs facilitation help, project management structure, or support with tough conversations. Pick the 1–2 skills that come up most.
Step 2: Match Training to Roles
Not every leader needs the same course.
- Chairs and co-chairs strategic planning, communication with executives, inclusive leadership
- Event and programming leads project management, facilitation
- Membership and engagement leads facilitation, feedback, inclusive leadership
- New or emerging leaders a foundational leadership or facilitation course
Step 3: Choose the Format
Self-paced online courses work best for busy leaders across time zones. They are flexible and usually the most budget-friendly.
Live virtual workshops work best when you want practice, discussion, and shared language across your leadership team.
Cohort learning (leaders take the same course and meet to discuss it) gives you the best of both: flexible content plus built-in accountability.
Step 4: Get Budget Approval
Frame the ask around outcomes, not courses. Your exec sponsor cares about stronger programming, leader retention, and leadership pipeline. Use the budget request template below.
Step 5: Protect Time to Learn
This is where most training fails. ERG leaders are already stretched.
Ask your exec sponsor to help secure manager support so leaders can complete training during work hours, not on nights and weekends. A short note from the sponsor to each leader's manager goes a long way.
Step 6: Learn Together, Then Apply Immediately
Set a completion window (for example, 30 days), then hold a 30-minute debrief where each leader shares one takeaway and one thing they will try in the next ERG meeting or event.
Step 7: Celebrate Completion
Recognize leaders who finish. Shout them out in your ERG channel or newsletter, mention them to their managers, or send a small thank-you. A Swagmagic swag pack with your ERG's logo is a fun way to mark the milestone and make leaders feel part of something.
Plug-and-Play Templates
Template 1: Leadership Skills Check (5 Questions)
Send to your ERG leadership team. Keep it anonymous if you want more honest answers.
- Which part of your ERG role feels hardest right now? (Running meetings / Planning events / Engaging members / Talking to executives / Handling tough conversations / Other)
- On a scale of 1–5, how confident do you feel facilitating a group discussion?
- On a scale of 1–5, how confident do you feel managing an event or project from start to finish?
- What is one skill that would make your ERG work easier?
- How do you prefer to learn? (Self-paced online / Live virtual workshop / In person / Learning with other leaders)
Template 2: Budget Request to Your Executive Sponsor
Subject: Investing in our ERG leaders this quarter
Hi [Sponsor Name],
Our ERG leaders are doing real leadership work: running programming, managing volunteers, and representing our community across the company. Most have never received formal training for it.
We would like to invest in targeted leadership training for [number] leaders this quarter, focused on [skill 1] and [skill 2], based on a skills survey of our team.
The ask: $[amount] total (about $[amount] per leader)
What we expect:
- More engaging, better-run meetings and events
- Less leader burnout and smoother succession
- Skills that carry into each leader's day job
We'll share a short recap of what leaders learned and how we're applying it. Could you also help us secure manager support so leaders can complete the training during work hours?
Thank you for championing our ERG.
[Your Name]
Template 3: Announcement to Your Leadership Team
Subject: You're invited: ERG leadership training
Hi team,
You already lead our ERG every day. Now we're investing in you.
Based on your survey answers, we're enrolling our leadership team in training on [skill]. It's [format], takes about [time], and should be completed by [date].
After that, we'll hold a 30-minute debrief to swap takeaways and pick one thing to try at our next event.
Thank you for everything you put into this community. This is one small way to give back.
How to Make the Learning Stick
A course nobody applies is just a receipt.
Build in these habits:
- Assign a "try it" moment. Each leader picks one technique to use in the next ERG meeting or event.
- Teach it back. Have one leader lead a 10-minute mini-lesson for the rest of the team, or for members.
- Pair up. Match leaders as accountability partners to check in on progress. Confetti's guide to peer coaching partnerships is a great starting point.
- Keep a shared toolkit. Save agendas, facilitation prompts, and project templates in one place so future leaders inherit them.
- Make it a ritual. Add a short "skill share" to quarterly leadership meetings.
Hosting the debrief in person? Make it feel like a celebration with a Snackmagic snack box, so leaders can pick their own treats whether they're in the office or remote.
How to Measure Success
You don't need a complex dashboard. Look for:
- Completion rate How many enrolled leaders finished?
- Confidence shift Rerun your skills check after 60–90 days and compare scores.
- Program quality Are meetings better attended? Are events running more smoothly?
- Leader retention Are leaders staying in their roles longer, and are new leaders stepping up?
- Stories "I used the facilitation technique from the course and our listening session finally felt productive."
Share the results with your exec sponsor. It is the easiest way to get next year's training budget approved.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Choosing generic content. Training should match the actual work of running an ERG.
- Training only the chair. Spread skills across the team so leadership doesn't depend on one person.
- Skipping the time conversation. If leaders have to learn on nights and weekends, many won't finish.
- Treating it as one-and-done. Build a yearly rhythm, especially as new leaders rotate in.
- Forgetting to report back. Sponsors fund what they can see working.
What Success Looks Like
Not:
- Every leader holding a certificate
- A perfect training catalog
But:
- Leaders who walk into meetings with a plan
- Events that run on time without last-minute scrambles
- Members who feel heard and included
- New leaders who feel ready to step up
Final Thought
ERG leaders give a lot. They give their time, their energy, and often a piece of their own story to build community at work.
Leadership training is one of the clearest ways to give something back.
Start small. Pick one skill, one course, and one debrief. When your leaders feel more confident, your whole community feels it too.
