Benevity Launches New Product to Help Companies Amplify Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Initiatives

Benevity Affinity Groups, an innovative inclusion solution, fosters more engaged workplaces by connecting employees to resource groups

Benevity Inc., a leading provider of global corporate purpose software, unveiled Benevity Affinity Groups, Benevity’s inclusion product that helps companies scale, manage and track their employee resource groups (ERGs) and other affinity group programs to drive diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging efforts like never before. Integrated with Spark — the company’s award-winning employee engagement solution that enables giving, volunteering and positive actions — this new offering allows employees to create trusted content and have informed discussions about difficult topics such as race and gender, helping to raise awareness and drive positive change and collective impact on issues and causes they care about. Benevity Affinity Groups was launched at the company’s annual conference, Goodness Matters.

For inclusion leaders:

• Easily tracks all ERG and affinity groups, allowing leaders to monitor membership and participation
• Decentralizes work thanks to an intuitive administrative interface that gives groups more power to publish and manage their own content
• Creates a digital home base for groups that can plug into a company’s broader employee communications and toolsets
• Integrates with Benevity’s employee engagement platform

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For employees:

• Provides a digital space where employees can discover, join, create, manage and participate in employee resource and affinity groups
• Offers employees a single place where they can take part in events, discussions and donation and volunteering
• Provides easy and engaging access to news updates from groups across the company, fostering discussion and connection

According to McKinsey & Company, as many as 51% of employees cite not feeling a sense of belonging at work as a critical factor in why they quit their jobs. Amid the Great Resignation, and with the acceleration of remote work, corporations are grappling with how to increase employee engagement and belonging and are spending nearly $8 billion each year on diversity and inclusion training. A recent study also shows that belonging has a powerful impact on recruiting and retention efforts, including a 50% reduction in turnover, 56% increase in job performance and 75% decrease in sick days.

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“Today’s employees want to work in inclusive workplaces that allow them to live their values, and to grow both personally and professionally,” said Kelly Schmitt, Benevity’s Chief Executive Officer. “More and more, companies are focusing on helping people become their best selves through greater investments in opportunities for social impact, diversity, inclusion and belonging. We believe ERGs are at the heart of these corporate culture initiatives and employee experiences, and our newest inclusion product, Benevity Affinity Groups, will help companies scale their efforts to create truly inclusive and impact-driven cultures.”

Employee resource groups are voluntary, employee-led groups of people who come together based on shared characteristics, life experiences or interests. A majority of large U.S. employers already have ERGs, and about 35% of companies have added or expanded their support for ERGs since the start of 2020. Their purpose can vary, but generally these groups build community by helping to create an inclusive workplace through support and education and, as companies begin to address topics such as race and social justice head-on, are becoming hubs for honest, vulnerable — often critical — conversations. Benevity’s newest product is a dedicated inclusion product that makes it easier for companies to scale their ERGs and other affinity group programs and initiatives and help employees with shared goals or experiences organize, socialize, educate, innovate and drive change.

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