As ERG leaders begin thinking about another year, much of the planning will naturally focus on what the group intends to do. Events will be considered, priorities discussed, and new ideas added to the calendar.
There's another part of that conversation worth having: What do you want people to associate with your ERG?
Over time, every ERG develops a reputation within its organization. Members form expectations based on their experiences with the group. Colleagues develop impressions from the events they attend or the conversations they hear about. New employees may arrive with an understanding of the ERG shaped almost entirely by how other people describe it.
Those impressions develop gradually, and they aren't always the ones ERG leaders intended to create.
An ERG might see itself as a community where members can build meaningful relationships, while employees across the organization primarily associate it with an annual celebration. Another group may have developed strong mentoring relationships among members, yet be known mostly for the educational programs it hosts.
Neither perception is necessarily inaccurate. People experience different parts of an ERG depending on how they encounter it.
This can make reputation an interesting consideration during annual planning. The activities an ERG chooses influence what people come to expect from it. So does the way members are welcomed, the opportunities they have to participate, and the kinds of conversations that become familiar within the community.
An ERG that wants to be known for connection might consider how often members have opportunities to interact beyond formal programming. A group that wants to be recognized as a place where people develop professionally might look at how members are invited to contribute, take on responsibilities, and learn through their involvement.
These are decisions that shape the experience of the ERG throughout the year.
It's also worth considering whose perspective informs the conversation. Longtime members may describe the group differently from someone who joined recently. People who attend events occasionally may have a different impression from those who help organize them. Hearing those perspectives can reveal aspects of the ERG's identity that its leadership team may have stopped noticing.
As you look toward 2027, consider the reputation your ERG has already developed and whether it reflects the experience you want people to have.
That conversation may influence which traditions you continue, which opportunities you pursue, and how you spend the time available to your leadership team.
The choices you make throughout the year will gradually shape what people come to associate with your ERG.
A small next step
Ask a few members to describe your ERG to someone who has never participated. Listen to the words they choose and the experiences they mention. How closely does that description match what your leadership team hopes people will say?
Weekly Reset
Imagine your desk has been selected as the setting for a new television series.
Give the show a title, decide what genre it belongs to, and invent the premise for the first episode. You can make it as dramatic or ridiculous as you'd like.
Bonus points if an ordinary office supply becomes the mysterious main character.