Backbone Leaders Learning Lab

Learning Lab Dates and Times:

• Session 1: February 25, 2026, 1pm - 4pm ET
• Session 2: March 11, 2026, 1pm - 4pm ET
• Session 3: March 24 or 25, 2026, 1pm - 2:30pm (Group Coaching. Attendees opt in to the day that works for them.)
• Session 4: April 8, 2026, 1pm - 4pm ET

ABOUT THE BACKBONE LEADERS LEARNING LAB

Are you a leader in a place-based collaborative or playing a backbone role? If so, this Learning Lab is for you!

Backbone leaders play one of the most critical - and often least understood - roles in collaborative, place-based work. You hold the group’s focus on its north star, nurture trust, keep partners aligned, and help communities make meaningful progress on complex challenges.

In today's environment, backbone leaders are navigating a range of challenges – such as an unpredictable political climate, uncertain funding, and the tension between addressing urgent community needs and stewarding long-term strategic work.

Yet despite how critical this role is, backbone leaders rarely have access to spaces designed specifically for their unique needs, pressures, and leadership realities.

Join the Collective Impact Forum’s Backbone Leaders Learning Lab to meet this need.

This program brings together leaders for skill building, coaching, and peer learning. It offers a rare chance to step back, reground in your purpose, and strengthen your practice – while building skills to navigate uncertainty and connecting with others who truly understand this work.

Why This Learning Lab and Why Now?

Backbone work is essential, and it is also hard. It is relational, strategic, and requires skillful navigation. And it is often lonely, especially when you are one of the few people in your community holding this role.

This Learning Lab exists so you don’t have to make sense of this work alone.

Peer spaces designed specifically for backbone leaders are rare, and this program offers what you need to lead, including:

• Practical tools to advance systems change
• A clearer understanding of their backbone role and how to execute it effectively
• Strategies for navigating uncertainty and community dynamics
• Greater confidence in sustaining long-term collaborative work
• A nationwide peer network of people doing similar work
• A renewed sense of purpose, energy, and grounding

Program Structure and Faculty

The Learning Lab combines training, practical tools, peer learning, and coaching.

The experience is anchored in four interactive virtual sessions, each including a mix of instruction, reflection, and small-group peer learning.

Learning Lab Faculty: Jennifer Splansky Juster, Executive Director, Collective Impact Forum; Courtney W. Robertson, Director of Programs and Partnerships, Collective Impact Forum.

Who Should Attend? This program is ideal for:

• Individuals playing or supporting the backbone role
• Leaders of emerging or established place-based collaborations (e.g., collective impact, multi-sector collaborations, place-based partnerships)
• Practitioners who want to deepen their systems-change practice and connect with peers
  

Program Fee & Benefits

Registration:

• 2025 Early-Bird Rate: $1,800 per participant if you join by December 31, 2025
• Regular Rate: $2,000 per participant (Starting January 1, 2026.)

Final Day to Register: February 20, 2026 (Sooner if registration cap is met.)

Additional Program Benefits

In addition to the Learning Lab sessions listed above, enrollment includes free registration to two Collective Impact Forum virtual events (combined valued at nearly $700 per person).

• Facilitating Collaborative Meetings training March 17 - 18, 2026 ($249 value)
• 2026 Collective Impact Action Summit, April 14 - 16, 2026 ($449 value)

Learning Lab space is intentionally limited to 25 participants to create an intimate, high-touch learning environment.

Interested in Learning More?

• Join our virtual info session on January 13, 2026; 1 ET / 10 PT to learn more about the program and share your questions. Register for Info Session
• Reach out with your questions to CI Forum Executive Director Jennifer Juster

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these Learning Lab sessions in-person or online? All sessions will be held online using Zoom Meeting.

Can my whole team sign-up with one registration? No. Each participant will require their own Learning Lab registration as these will be active sessions where attendees are broken into small groups throughout the session to build relationships and problem solve together.

Can different people from my team attend different sessions? No. This experience is designed to build community amongst participants, and participants will invest time in getting to know others in the cohort. Sending a different individual to the sessions doesn’t enable this community building.

What currency is this Learning Lab using for registration? The Collective Impact Forum is based in the United States and registration is in U.S. dollars.

What time zone are you using for the Learning Lab sessions? The sessions times are listed in Eastern Time (US & Canada.) If joining from another time zone, please note the time difference.

What does the Learning Lab include? The Learning Lab includes four virtual sessions for lab participants. Three of these sessions will be a mix of training from the CI Forum team and facilitated peer learning and problem solving; the fourth session will be an “office hours” session for Q&A with the CI Forum team on challenges you face in your work. Learning Lab participants also receive free registration for the March 17-18 Facilitating Collaborative Meetings workshop and April 14 – 16 virtual 2026 Collective Impact Action Summit.

Will the sessions be recorded? The presentations and full group discussion will be recorded. Small group time during the sessions will not be recorded. Recordings will be shared within one week of the sessions.

Can I be invoiced for these sessions? Yes, we can invoice you. Invoices must be paid by ACH or check. Credit card orders cannot be processed by invoice. If you wish to pay by credit card, please register via this Eventbrite site. All requests to pay by invoice must be made by February 18, 2026. Please reach out to Tracy Timmons-Gray at tracy.timmons-gray@collectiveimpactforum.org if you wish to inquire about paying by invoice.

How do I cancel my registration and request a refund? All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing. Registered participants who decide to cancel their participation will receive a refund of their registration fee minus a 10% fee. The 10% fee covers non-recoupable administrative and staff expenses associated with event preparation. All refund requests should be emailed to Tracy Timmons-Gray at tracy.timmons-gray@collectiveimpactforum.org. We are unable to process refunds after the refund deadline of February 18, 2026.

Refund Cancellation Deadline

Refund Deadline: The Learning Lab cancellation deadline is Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

Have More Questions?

If your question is not addressed in our FAQ, please contact Tracy Timmons-Gray at tracy.timmons-gray@collectiveimpactforum.org