ERG Starter Kit: How to Launch an Employee Resource Group (Free Templates Inside)

Every great ERG starts with a few people and a blank page.

Someone notices a gap. Maybe there's no space for working parents to swap advice. Maybe veterans, LGBTQ+ employees, or first-generation professionals are scattered across teams with no way to find each other. Maybe a Slack channel started as a joke and quietly became the most supportive corner of the company.

Then someone says the words: "We should make this an official ERG."

And that's where things get hard.

What's the mission? Who can join? Who leads it, and for how long? What do you actually do in month one, month six, or month twelve? How do you get an executive sponsor, a budget, and members who stick around after the launch party?

Most new ERGs don't fail because people stop caring. They stall because the founders are figuring everything out from scratch, on top of their real jobs.

This ERG Starter Kit fixes that. It gives you every foundational template you need, ready to copy, customize, and launch:

• Mission statement templates with fill-in-the-blank formulas and real examples
• A goals checklist covering launch must-haves and first-year goals
• Membership criteria with inclusive, ally-friendly language
• Leadership roles with descriptions, time commitments, and term lengths
• An annual planning calendar that maps a full year of programming
• A 90-day launch plan, an exec sponsor pitch, and launch announcement copy

Whether you're the founder of a brand-new ERG or the People team member supporting one, use this kit to go from idea to thriving community in one quarter.

What Is an ERG (and What Makes One Last)?

An employee resource group (ERG) is a voluntary, employee-led group built around a shared identity, experience, or interest. ERGs give members community and support, and they help the organization become a better place to work for everyone.

Common ERGs include groups for:

• Women and gender equity
• Black, Latinx, AAPI, Indigenous, and MENA employees
• LGBTQ+ employees
• Veterans and military families
• Working parents and caregivers
• Employees with disabilities and neurodivergent employees
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Early-career and first-generation professionals
• Faith and interfaith communities

The ERGs that last have four things in common:

Each template in this kit builds one of those four things. Work through them in order, or jump to the one you need most.

Template 1: ERG Mission Statement Templates

Your mission statement is the foundation for everything else. It guides what events you host, who you invite, how you pitch for budget, and how you say no to ideas that don't fit.

A strong ERG mission statement is:

• Short. One or two sentences. If it doesn't fit on a slide, it's too long.
• Specific. It names who the ERG serves and what it does for them.
• Two-sided. It speaks to members and to the broader organization.
• Action-oriented. It uses verbs like connect, support, advance, educate, celebrate.

Formula A: The Community Builder

Formula B: The Three Pillars

Formula C: The Business Partner

Formula D: The Vision Statement

How to write yours in 45 minutes

1. Brainstorm 15 min

   Ask founding members, "Why does this group need to exist?" and "What would be different in a year if we succeed?" Capture every answer.

2. Cluster 10 min

   Group answers into three to five themes. These become your pillars.

3. Draft 10 min

   Plug the themes into one of the formulas above. Write two or three versions.

4. Test 10 min

   Read each version aloud. Pick the one a new member would understand instantly.

Pro tip: Share the draft with your executive sponsor and a few potential members before you finalize it. Early input builds early buy-in.

Want to turn your mission into something more visual? Confetti's Toolkits Library includes ready-to-run workshops that help groups align on a shared vision.

Template 2: ERG Goals Checklist

Goals turn a mission into momentum. This checklist comes in two parts: the foundations to finish before launch, and the goals to work toward in your first year.

Part 1: Launch Foundations Checklist

Check these off before you announce your ERG to the company.

Part 2: First-Year Goals by Pillar

Pick one or two goals per pillar. Ambitious is fine; overloaded is not. A new ERG that delivers four goals well beats one that half-delivers twelve.

Make each goal SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. "Build community" becomes "Host one member gathering per month, averaging 15 attendees by Q3."

For career growth goals, Confetti's guide to peer coaching partnerships is a ready-made playbook your ERG can adapt.

Template 3: ERG Membership Criteria

The best practice is simple: ERGs should be open to every employee. Members share the identity or experience at the center of the group. Allies share a commitment to supporting it. Both belong.

Open membership protects your ERG from feeling exclusive, keeps it aligned with most company policies and employment law, and lets allies learn and advocate. Clear criteria also prevent awkward questions later, like who can vote or run for a leadership role.

Copy-and-paste membership language

Who can join: Membership in [ERG name] is open to all [Company] employees, regardless of identity, role, level, or location. We welcome employees who identify as [community] and allies who want to learn, support, and advocate alongside us.

No one is ever required to disclose personal information to join, attend events, or participate. You decide what you share.

What we ask of members: Treat every member with respect. Keep personal stories shared in ERG spaces confidential. Assume good intent, and stay open to learning. Follow [Company]'s code of conduct in all ERG spaces.

Membership tiers (optional)

Some ERGs define levels of involvement so people can join at the depth that fits their schedule.

Decisions to make up front

• Leadership eligibility: Can allies serve in leadership, or only co-lead roles? Decide and write it down.
• Voting: Who votes in leadership elections: all members or active contributors only?
• Contractors and interns: Are they welcome? Many ERGs say yes to interns and invite contractors to public events.
• Global employees: If you're multinational, confirm the ERG and its language work across regions.
• Privacy: Keep member lists private. Never share who joined an identity-based ERG without consent.

Pro tip: Run your membership language past HR or legal once. It takes a day and saves a headache.

Template 4: ERG Leadership Roles

The fastest way to burn out an ERG founder is to let them do everything.

Spread the work across a small team with clear roles, and the ERG survives vacations, busy seasons, and leadership transitions.

A new ERG can start with three or four roles and add more as it grows.

Sample role description: Co-Chair

Sample role description: Executive Sponsor

Leadership best practices

• Use co-chairs. Two leaders share the load and keep continuity when one steps away.
• Stagger terms. Rotate one co-chair each year so experience never walks out the door at once.
• Get manager buy-in. Ask HR to help leaders' managers recognize ERG work in goals and reviews.
• Document everything. Keep agendas, contacts, and event playbooks in one shared folder.
• Recognize your leaders. ERG leadership is often unpaid, extra work. Say thank you, often and publicly. Stadium makes it easy to send thank-you gifts and rewards to leaders and volunteers anywhere.

For a deeper dive on growing your team, our guide to ERG leadership training covers the skills, courses, and budget to invest in your leaders.

Template 5: ERG Annual Planning Calendar

A calendar gives your ERG a rhythm members can count on, and it keeps leaders from scrambling three days before every heritage month. Plan the year in one session, then revisit it every quarter.

Step 1: Set your recurring rhythm

Start with the baseline, before adding big moments:

• Monthly One member gathering (social, discussion, lunch-and-learn, or workshop)
• Monthly One leadership team meeting
• Quarterly One signature event, plus a check-in with your executive sponsor
• Annually Member survey, leadership elections, and an end-of-year impact report

Step 2: Map the year

Use this 12-month template as a starting point. Swap in the observances most relevant to your community, and keep anything your ERG doesn't own as an invitation to partner with another ERG.

Pro tip: Start planning each heritage month 6–8 weeks ahead. That gives you time to recruit storytellers, book speakers, and get a slot in the company newsletter.

Confetti's free DEI calendar lists heritage months and cultural observances year-round, and the employee engagement calendar helps you time ERG events alongside company-wide moments.

Step 3: Fill your signature events

You don't have to design every event from scratch. Hosted experiences take the pressure off volunteer leaders:

• Cultural celebrations Confetti's Cultural Impact Classes and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion collections offer facilitated experiences for heritage months.
• Member connection Get to Know Your Team experiences help new members feel like they belong from day one.
• Skill-building The Learning and Development collection covers career growth sessions members will actually attend.
• Year-end wins Company Celebrations help close the year on a high note.

Your 90-Day ERG Launch Plan

With the five templates in hand, here's how to go from idea to launch in one quarter.

Copy-and-Paste Launch Templates

Template A: Executive Sponsor Ask

Template B: Launch Announcement

Template C: New Member Welcome

Pro tip: Make your launch event feel like a celebration. Send attendees a Snackmagic box so in-office and remote members can pick their own treats, and welcome founding members with custom ERG merch from Swagmagic.

Building Your First ERG Budget

Many ERGs launch with no budget at all, and that's okay. Awareness campaigns, discussion circles, and peer mentoring cost nothing but time. But a modest budget makes it much easier to host events people remember.

When you build your request, plan for these common line items:

• Launch event Food, a hosted experience, or welcome swag
• Signature events Speakers, workshops, and heritage month programming
• Member engagement Snacks for monthly gatherings, small prizes, recognition for volunteers
• Leader development Training on facilitation, project management, and inclusive leadership
• Partnerships Donations or volunteer days with community organizations

Pro tip: Before you ask for new money, ask HR what already exists. Learning budgets, culture budgets, and recruiting funds can often cover ERG programming.

How to Measure Your ERG's Success

You don't need a complex dashboard. Track a few signals and share them with your sponsor every quarter:

• Membership Total members and allies, plus growth over time
• Engagement Event attendance and repeat attendees
• Satisfaction A two-question pulse after events ("Was this valuable?" and "What should we do next?")
• Goal progress Status on each first-year goal from Template 2
• Impact stories Quotes and moments that show what the ERG means to members

At the end of year one, pull it all into a one-page impact report. It's the easiest way to secure next year's budget and recruit your next leaders.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

How Confetti Can Help

Launching an ERG on top of your day job is a lot. You don't have to build every event yourself.

• Heritage months and cultural moments Confetti's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Cultural Impact Classes collections offer hosted experiences ready to drop into your calendar.
• Connection for new members Virtual Networking Water Cooler and Get to Know Your Team experiences help members meet each other fast.
• DIY workshops and activities The Confetti Toolkits Library includes ready-to-run sessions for visioning, brainstorming, and team connection.
• Planning support The DEI calendar keeps every observance on your radar.
• Snacks and treats Snackmagic lets in-office and remote members choose what they want.
• ERG swag Swagmagic ships branded merch to members wherever they are.
• Recognition and rewards Stadium makes it easy to thank leaders, volunteers, and speakers across locations.