Build an LGBTQ+ employee community that can thrive year-round.
You do not need a Fortune 500 HR department to create meaningful connection for LGBTQ+ employees and allies.
PridERG helps small and mid-sized employers build, support, and sustain employee resource groups through practical structure, facilitation, programming, feedback, and connection to the LGBTQ+ community of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
For small and mid-sized employers throughout Greater Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania.
What does your organization need?
An employee resource group (ERG) is a voluntary, employee-led community for people who share an identity or experience — and the allies who support them. You do not need to be a large company to have one. New to ERGs? See what they are ↓
Pick the situation that sounds most like your organization:
“We only have one or two LGBTQ+ employees.”
PridERG Network
For very small employers that are too small to sustain an ERG of their own — your people join a shared, community-based group instead.
“We have the people, but no ERG yet — and we want to start one.”
PridERG Startup
A structured six-month engagement that takes you from good intentions to a functioning LGBTQ+ ERG.
“We already have an ERG, but it needs help to stay active.”
PridERG Advisory & Secretariat
Ongoing annual support for organizations with an existing ERG that needs guidance — or hands-on coordination — to keep it useful.
Not sure which option fits? That is exactly what the discovery conversation is for.
What is an employee resource group?
An employee resource group (ERG) is a voluntary, employee-led community of colleagues who share an identity, background, or set of experiences — along with the allies who support them. For LGBTQ+ employees, an ERG is a place to connect, feel seen, and help shape a more inclusive workplace.
You may have heard these groups called by other names. They all describe the same basic idea:
Business Resource Group (BRG)
Affinity Group
Employee Network
Business Resource Network (BRN)
Employee Resource Network (ERN)
Diversity & Inclusion Group
They are not just for large corporations. Big companies often run ERGs with executive sponsors, budgets, and formal governance — infrastructure most small and mid-sized employers simply do not have. PridERG exists to make these groups possible for smaller organizations, by providing the structure, facilitation, and community connection from the outside.
And if your organization is too small to sustain a group of its own, the PridERG Network lets your employees join a shared, community-based group instead.
PridERG Network
A shared, community-based ERG option for microbusinesses and very small employers that have only one or a few LGBTQ+ employees or allies. Your organization enrolls, and your people participate in a group hosted and facilitated by the Center — so they get community even when you are too small to build your own.
Best for
- Businesses with roughly 1–10 employees
- One or a few LGBTQ+ employees or allies
- No formal HR or DEI department
- A supportive owner but limited infrastructure
- Want connection but cannot sustain a standalone ERG
What your team gets
- Facilitated group meetings with peers from other small employers
- A community connection space and regional LGBTQ+ calendar
- Volunteer opportunities and connection to the Center’s events
- Discussion prompts and facilitated conversations
- Participation guidelines and an optional feedback pulse survey
Designed as an accessible first step. During the pilot, the Network is offered free or sponsor-funded — and it is often a path toward eventually creating your own ERG.
PridERG Startup
A structured six-month engagement for employers that want to start an LGBTQ+ ERG from scratch. It moves you from informal interest to a functioning, sustainable group — with the charter, roles, and rhythm to keep it going after launch.
Best for
- Small businesses with enough employees to support a small internal ERG
- Mid-sized regional employers without an LGBTQ+ ERG
- Informal employee interest but no structure yet
- Wanting something sustainable beyond Pride Month
By the end of six months, you’ll have
- A formal ERG charter and defined purpose
- A member recruitment process and leadership or coordinator roles
- A programming calendar, collaboration space, and meeting rhythm
- A feedback mechanism and a transition plan for ongoing support
The six-month path
Discovery, alignment & charter foundation
Charter finalization & infrastructure setup
Launch & first programming cycle
Community connection & volunteer activation
Feedback, stabilization & employer check-in
Transition & sustainability plan
Fees are scaled based on employer size and service scope. We’ll talk through the right fit and a fair fee in your discovery conversation.
PridERG Advisory & Secretariat
Ongoing annual support for organizations that already have an LGBTQ+ ERG — or have just finished PridERG Startup — and want it to stay useful and active. It comes in two modes, depending on how much of the work you want to keep in-house.
Guidance & direction
Best for ERGs that can run themselves but want programming ideas, community connection, and a steady advisor.
- Quarterly advisory meetings & an annual planning session
- ERG calendar support & programming recommendations
- Volunteer coordination & community partner referrals
- Feedback survey design & light facilitation as needed
Hands-on coordination
Best for groups with limited internal capacity, or ERGs that lose momentum without outside coordination.
- Meeting scheduling, agendas, facilitation & notes
- Calendar management & member communications
- Participation tracking & feedback survey administration
- Volunteer coordination & owner or leadership check-ins
An annual retainer, scaled to employer size and service scope. Not sure which mode fits? We’ll help you decide in the discovery conversation.
Build something useful for employees and sustainable for your organization.
Better feedback loops
Structured insight from LGBTQ+ employees and allies about what actually matters to them.
Stronger retention conditions
Belonging, connection, and community that support the reasons people choose to stay.
A stronger employer brand
Visible, year-round support for LGBTQ+ employees and the surrounding community.
Volunteer & civic engagement
Clear ways for your team to support the Center and other regional LGBTQ+ organizations.
A better internal rhythm
Meetings, calendars, and programming that don’t depend entirely on one overwhelmed employee.
Employer–community ties
A genuine, ongoing relationship between your organization and the LGBTQ+ community of the region.
PridERG does not promise that an ERG alone will solve employee retention, workplace culture, or belonging challenges. It helps employers create a stronger structure for supporting those goals.
Your ERG should be connected to the community it is meant to support.
There are consultants who can hand you an ERG template. Pittsburgh Equality Center offers something different: a direct connection to the living LGBTQ+ community of Western Pennsylvania.
Local
A regional LGBTQ+ organization, not a national DEI vendor.
Right-Sized
Designed for small and mid-sized organizations, not Fortune 500 DEI departments.
Connected
Links your ERG to nonprofits, volunteer opportunities, events, and regional advocacy.
Practical
Focused on sustainable structure and real participation, not Pride Month optics.
You know your organization. We know the LGBTQ+ community. PridERG helps connect the two.
Starting with PridERG is straightforward.
Tell us what you need.
Have a discovery conversation.
Identify the right PridERG path.
Receive a clear scope.
Build and sustain the work.
Community-based ERG support with clear boundaries.
The Center can help with
- ERG startup structure
- Meeting facilitation
- Program coordination
- Community connection
- Volunteer coordination
- Employee feedback collection
- ERG calendar planning
- Member engagement support & best-practice templates
- Advisory support & connection to regional LGBTQ+ organizations
PridERG is not
- HR advice
- Legal advice
- Employment-law guidance
- Workplace investigations
- Policy drafting as legal counsel
- Mediation of employment disputes
- Compliance opinions
- Representing employees or employers against one another
Please note. The PridERG program provides community-based ERG coordination, facilitation, education, and advisory support. It does not provide legal advice, HR compliance advice, employment-law guidance, workplace investigations, or formal human-resources consulting. Employers should consult qualified legal counsel or HR professionals for those matters.
Right-sized support for organizations of different sizes.
Fees are scaled based on employer size, revenue, and service scope.
The PridERG Network is designed as an accessible first step — free or sponsor-funded during the pilot — while Startup and Advisory & Secretariat engagements are scoped to what your organization actually needs. We’ll talk through the right fit and a fair fee during your discovery conversation, before any commitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How large does our organization need to be?
What’s the difference between an ERG, a BRG, and an affinity group?
Do we need to already have an employee resource group?
What is the PridERG Network?
Can allies participate?
Can the Center create our ERG for us?
Can the Center manage our existing ERG?
What is the difference between Advisory and Secretariat support?
Does the Center provide legal or HR advice?
How much does PridERG cost?
Is PridERG only for LGBTQ+-owned businesses?
Is this just a Pride Month program?
What geographic area does PridERG serve?
You do not need to know exactly what your ERG should look like before you contact us.
Whether you have one employee looking for community, a team ready to launch an ERG, or an existing group that needs more support, we can help you identify a practical next step.
There is no commitment required to start the conversation.
Tell us about your organization.
Complete this short form and Pittsburgh Equality Center will follow up about a PridERG discovery conversation.
What happens next?
After we receive your inquiry, we’ll review the information and contact you to arrange a conversation about your organization, any current ERG activity, and the support you’re looking for.
That first discovery conversation is a relaxed, no-pressure discussion of where you are today, what your employees might want, and which PridERG path fits best. There’s no cost or commitment to have it.
Thank you — your request has been received.
Pittsburgh Equality Center will follow up soon about a PridERG discovery conversation. Prefer to reach us directly? Email ray@pghequalitycenter.org.
