One of the biggest challenges ERGs face isn’t just growing their membership—it’s defining it in the first place. Many ERG leaders don’t even know how to find their membership numbers. For those that do, there’s still confusion around what those numbers actually mean.

Does having 500 people in a Slack channel mean the ERG has 500 members? Or does membership only count if someone attends events? What about those who signed up but never participated? This lack of clarity makes it difficult to measure success, drive engagement, or advocate for resources.

Regardless of how an ERG tracks membership, anyone who has taken an action to join—whether joining a Slack channel or signing up for a mailing list— is a member. The problem isn’t whether they’re members—it’s that you don’t know much about them and, chances are, they aren’t actively participating.

So, how can ERG leaders move beyond the numbers and create an engaged, thriving community?

The Right Metrics: Member Engagement Score

Most ERG programs rely on vanity metrics, such as:

• ✅ The total number of people in an ERG channel
• ✅ Event attendance (counting heads on Zoom)
• ✅ Inconsistent survey responses

While these provide a snapshot, they don’t reveal the ERG’s true impact. Instead, ERG leaders should track their Member Engagement Score, measuring the percentage of members actively participating in programming over time.

Executives—especially those controlling budgets—are far more interested in engagement levels than raw membership numbers. A CFO isn’t going to be impressed by a Slack channel with 500 members if only 10 people are active. Instead, proving engagement and impact is what builds long-term ERG sustainability.

When Should ERGs Focus on Growth?

ERG leaders often feel pressured to grow their membership numbers, but growth for growth’s sake isn’t the answer. Instead, growth should align with The ERG Movement Model:

• Early Adolescence (First 6 Months Post-Launch)**: The only phase where rapid member growth should be a primary focus. A new ERG Program will naturally experience a surge of interest—this is the time to onboard members effectively.
• Mid Adolescence (2+ Years)**: After the initial launch, growth should no longer be the main goal. Instead, the focus should shift to deepening engagement among existing members. Simply adding more people won’t solve engagement issues—it will only expand disengagement.

The Superfan Model: Why Engagement > Growth

Pat Flynn’s Superfans framework provides a powerful way to think about ERG membership:

• 1️⃣ Casual Audience – Knows about the ERG but hasn’t joined.
• 2️⃣ Active Audience – Subscribers who joined but aren’t engaged.
• 3️⃣ Connected Community – Members who actively participate.
• 4️⃣ Superfans – Highly engaged members who promote the ERG (often ERG leaders).

Most ERGs mistakenly focus on converting Casual Audience to Active Audience—getting more people into their Slack channel or onto their email list. But real success happens when you convert Active Audience to Connected Community—turning passive members into engaged participants.

When current members are engaged and see value, they naturally become advocates, spreading the word and driving organic growth. Instead of constantly trying to recruit more people, ERGs should focus on creating meaningful experiences that keep members engaged.

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