The ERG Event Approval feature allows Program Administrators and Global Administrators to manage ERG event requests effectively. With this feature, they can approve or reject events.

Why it matters: As ERGs mature in organizations, there is a need to align group activity, including ERG events, with org-level initiatives. The event approval workflow integrates group owner oversight needed to align org-level initiatives into event creation, decreasing the manual work that would otherwise be necessary by both the lead and group owner.

Who can propose and approve events?

ERG Leads and Chapter Leads can propose new events.

However, only group and global owners have the authority to approve or reject event requests. If rejected, admins can send an optional note to the individual who submitted the request.

New Menu Name for ‘Events

For better clarity, the 'Events' section in the left-side panel is now labeled 'Manage Events'.

The Enriched Events page provides Global and ERG Owners with valuable additional event information. ERG leads, and owners can enter additional event details on this page, such as pillars, categories, and more. These insights allow administrators to evaluate the success of events better, identify patterns and make data-driven decisions for improving future events. In the future, we plan to introduce functionality allowing users to view reports based on these dimensions, making it helpful to input this data now.

By accessing the enriched details, Global and Group Administrators can make more informed decisions, track event performance, and generate reports that offer deeper insights into trends and outcomes.

Pillars are organization-wide themes designed to align ERG activities with broader organizational initiatives. A pre-populated list of high-level "pillars" is provided for ERG leads to select from. In this release, customers cannot modify these pillars. The available options include Career, Community, Cause and Culture.

This feature can be used for planning purposes, such as determining the need for additional facilitators, chairs or breakout rooms. It also helps track expectations by comparing the number of anticipated attendees with the actual attendance.

This is an open text field where the ERG/Chapter Lead or ERG Owner can enter the purpose and goals of the event, providing a clear explanation to the Global Administrators about the event's intent.

Leads or group owners can record the anticipated number of attendees. This information is valuable for planning purposes, such as determining whether additional facilitators, seating, or breakout rooms are needed. It also allows for tracking the anticipated attendance against the actual number of participants.

The "Additional Notes" section is an open text field for Global Administrators to record any extra information that doesn't fit into other categories. It allows them to add important details, clarifications or unique situations, ensuring all relevant information is captured for better decision-making and clear records.

This new setting allows Group Owners to choose whether to require review and approval of events. They can turn this setting on or off in the ‘Event Settings’ page.

Navigation Path: Manage -> Program Settings -> Event Settings

There is also an "Approval Notifications Settings" option, set to "Emails Only," which can be used as an organization-wide setting. Your "Approval Notifications Settings" and "Decline Notifications Settings" can be turned on or off.

Navigation Path: Manage -> Program Configuration -> System Emails -> Community Features

When a Global Owner creates a new event that overlaps with an existing approved event, the system shows the other events scheduled for the same time. This helps avoid conflicts and ensures better planning by preventing double bookings and managing resources effectively. Additionally, the event detail page is now accessible through the 'Manage Event' section.

Below is a detailed breakdown of the work for each group.

The workflow for Leads is outlined below:

Here are a few key points to remember: Once the event is submitted, the Chapter Lead can no longer make edits. The event will display a "Pending Approval" status on its header until a decision is made. When the event is either approved or denied, the Chapter Lead will receive an email notification informing them of the status update.

Step 1: The Lead navigates to "Manage Events" from the left-hand menu.

Step 2: They click on 'Create New Event.'

Step 3: After entering the event details, the Lead submits the event for approval. A green icon will briefly appear in the bottom-left corner of your screen, indicating that the event has been successfully submitted and is now in the approval queue.

Step 4: Once submitted, the event will appear on a listing page with the status labeled as [Pending Approval].

The approval workflow for the Group Owner is outlined below:

Step 1: The Global Administrator navigates to "Manage Events" from the left-hand menu.

Step 2: Access the event detail page.

Step 3: Follow the approval confirmation steps, with an option to review and send email notifications.

The rejection workflow for Owner is outlined below:

Step 1: The Owner navigates to "Manage Events" in the left-hand menu.

Step 2: Access the event's detail page.

Step 3: Reject the event and provide a decline note.

A closer look at the rejection note.