How ERGs Can Work Together: 44 Ideas for Intersectional Collaboration
When Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) come together, they create space for intersectional learning, shared advocacy, and collective power. Collaboration across ERGs can go beyond efficiency and focus on how we are interconnected. Many equity and inclusion challenges overlap, and addressing them together amplifies voices, builds community, and ensures that no single group carries the weight of change alone.
During a recent session I facilitated, participants shared ideas for intersectional projects and issues that multiple ERGs could work on together. What emerged was a vision for deeper collaboration grounded in justice, curiosity, and care. The list below reflects shared priorities for equity-centered workplaces: ideas that build bridges, honor complexity, and sustain belonging across lines of identity and experience.
44 Intersectional Collaboration Ideas for ERGs
Building Connection & Community
1:1 outreach and cross-ERG introductions
Community-building events centered on shared values
Co-planned or co-hosted signature events that reflect multiple identities
More social mixing events (especially at conferences and large gatherings)
Create space for regular community check-ins across ERGs
Book clubs that highlight intersectional stories and histories
Celebrate collective joy, not only struggle
Encourage being part of more than one ERG
Intentional events designed to connect people across affinity lines
Advocacy & Equity
Advocate for clarity and commitment to not censoring identity language
Advocate for equitable access to care, healthcare coverage, and benefits for all employees
Elevate local ERG voices and ensure their contributions are recognized
Align ERGs to advocate for fair and equitable promotions and leadership opportunities
Address lack of representation of people of color and other underrepresented groups in leadership
Promote inclusive recruitment models and equitable hiring practices
Advance access and awareness of reproductive rights and mental health resources
Engage ERGs in advocating for voting rights and civic participation
Support advocacy on marriage rights and partner benefits
Center intersectional advocacy around disability, gender identity, and racial justice
Organizational Culture & Accountability
Collaborate to develop shared accountability pathways for DEI progress
Work together to address systemic inequities and organizational barriers
Release cliques and create more open, accessible spaces
Strengthen leadership buy-in through unified ERG communication
Build collective power to speak truth to leadership and influence decision-making
Develop a transparent, unified ERG container that coordinates activities throughout the year
Ensure ERG representation across leadership councils, boards, and professional opportunities
Create a shared ERG workplan that defines overlapping priorities
Establish governance models that honor equity, voice, and transparency
Learning & Education
Host joint learning sessions on topics like colonialism, patriarchy, and systems of oppression
Explore language justice and inclusive communication
Learn from pivotal historical moments (e.g., the civil rights movement) and connect lessons to current challenges
Archive and share historical and present-day data to counter erasure
Offer intersectional professional development opportunities open to all ERGs
Leverage multiple ERGs to co-design inclusive leadership and allyship training
Invite speakers or local leaders to discuss cross-community solidarity
Collaborate on mental health awareness and care initiatives
Create shared educational campaigns about navigating social issues without losing identity
Support, Solidarity & Sustainability
Show up in authentic support for other ERGs’ events and initiatives
Support capacity-building work with real, equitable compensation
Engage both full-time and part-time staff in ERG work and development
Develop pipeline programs that center marginalized identities
Build perseverance and collective care practices to address burnout
Cultivate a culture of honoring humanity and authenticity in all spaces
Collaborate on responses to social or political issues impacting multiple communities (e.g., immigration, healthcare, reproductive rights)
Intersectional collaboration reminds us that no single group holds all the answers—and that our liberation is deeply connected. When ERGs unite around shared causes, they embody belonging in action. These ideas are not about adding more work to already stretched teams, but about reimagining how we can share purpose, celebrate complexity, and hold power collectively.
When ERGs build bridges, they create stronger communities within an organization. More importantly, they model what solidarity looks like beyond it. Together, we can transform workplace culture into a living ecosystem of equity, care, and connection.
