RECAP: 2026 Leadership Summit

Leadership Summit 2026: Volunteers Chart a Path Forward for CMC

On October 10, 32 volunteer leaders from across the Colorado Mountain Club came together for the 2026 Leadership Summit. The goal was simple: bring passionate leaders from different Groups, Sections, schools, and committees together to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing CMC and identify practical actions that will strengthen our organization for years to come.

Over the course of the summit, volunteers participated in six breakout discussions focused on membership, leadership development, collaboration, risk management, the future of CMC, and technology. The conversations were thoughtful, energetic, and solution oriented. While each group tackled a unique topic, several common themes emerged: improve communication, create clearer pathways for engagement and leadership, strengthen consistency across the organization, and continue fostering the welcoming community that makes CMC special.

Attracting, Engaging, and Keeping Members

Participants discussed how CM can better support new members and create a stronger sense of belonging from the moment someone joins. Volunteers identified opportunities to improve the new-member experience through clearer communication, better sharing of information between State and Group leadership, and more intentional pathways into schools, trips, and volunteer opportunities. Key ideas included:

• Creating a clearer starting point for new members.
• Better coorination of welcome and onboarding information across CMC.
• Helping members understand how schools, trips, Sections, and Groups connect.
• Highlighting learning pathways and transferable skills between programs.
• Developing more effective communication channels to keep members engaged.

The group emphasized that every volunteer leader serves as an ambassador for CMC and plays a critical role in helping new members find community, purpose, and opportunities to stay involved.

Key Action Item: A representative of each Group should work with Adult Ed Department to revise the member journey and make it accessible on Group sites. This will help State and Group leaders understand what information members receive and allow Groups to reinforce key messages through their own communications and outreach.

Growing and Retaining CMC Leaders

One of the strongest themes of the summit was leadership development. Volunteers discussed how to make the progression from participant to volunteer to leader more intuitive, welcoming, and sustainable. Recommendations included:

• Expanding mentoring and co-leader opportunities.
• Creatin leadership cohorts and peer support networks.
• Providing post-Trip Leader School coaching and debrief opportunities.
• Building stronger volunteer recognition programs.
• Developing a more formal leadership development pipeline beyond Trip Leader School.
• Exploring incentives and scholarships that encourage volunteer growth.

Participants also discussed the importance of recognizing volunteer contributions and ensuring leaders feel valued throughout their journey with CMC. A recurring idea was creating a club-wide leadership development framework that can be adapted locally by Groups while maintaining consistency across the organization.

Key Action Item: Each Group should explore ongoing leadership training and refresher opportunities beyond initial Coassemble training and handbook review, helping leaders stay familiar with their responsibilities, available resources, and evolving CMC processes.

Breaking Down the Silos: One CMC, Many Groups

Volunteers expressed a desire for greater collaboration between Groups, Sections, schools, and committees. While CMC benefits from strong local identity and autonomy, attendees saw tremendous opportunity in sharing resources, expertise, and successful practices across the organization. Potential opportunities identified included:

• Sharing instructors and subject matter expertise across Groups.
• Create more robust State-wide committees, such as School Directors Calls
• Developing common standards where appropriate.
• Creating stronger channels for sharing successful programs and innovations.
• Establishing leadership development resources that benefit the entire organization.
• Creating communication networks among volunteers in similar roles.

The group also highlighted the importance of balancing statewide alignment with local flexibility, ensuring that Groups can collaborate more effectively while continuing to meet the unique needs of their communities.

Key Action Item: Identify ways to share successful community event and partnership models across Groups so other areas can adapt approaches that work. (Example REI Explore Night, Intro to Hiking Safety at Libraries etc)

Key Action Item: Create more robust School Directors Calls with participation across the State, to improve activity standards, course standards, and instructor resources.

Building a Stronger Risk Management Culture

The risk management breakout focused on creating a stronger and more consistent culture of risk management across CMC. Participants discussed both systems-level improvements and practical actions that Groups can implement immediately. Key discussion points included:

• Improving incident and near-miss reporting so lesson learned can be shared more effectively.
• Sharing out more data to support informed decision-making.
• Increasing focus on human factors and participant preparedness.
• Clarifying expectations for trip leaders, co-leaders, and participants.
• Strengthening communication during activities.
• Developing more consistent activity and risk management standards.

Several concrete action items emerged, including identifying risk management points of contact within Groups, improving communication around volunteer roles and responsibilities, and creating clearer expectations for participation in CMC programs. Volunteers agreed that a strong safety culture depends on both effective systems and clear communication.

Key Action Item: Increase member specific communication around expectations and risk management. Including "tips and tricks", Roles/Responsibilities, or "participant expectations" in Group wide newsletters and new member communication.

The CMC Experience: Looking Toward 2030

When volunteers looked ahead to the next decade, they envisioned a CMC that continues to honor its traditions while evolving to meet changing member needs. Key priorities that emerged included:

• Continuing to lead in outdoor education and recreation.
• Expanding community awareness, partnerships, and conservation efforts.
• Creating stronger leadership pipelines for future generations.
• Increasing accessibility and inclusiveness.
• Developing greater consistency across Groups where it benefits members.
• Strengthening CMC's reputation as a leader in outdoor education and safety.

Participants emphasized that CMC should continue to focus on education, stewardship, community, and responsible recreation while remaining adaptable and forward-looking.

Key Action Item: In addition to State-led partnerships and community connections, encourage Groups to pursue local opportunities such as tabling at community events, hosting educational presentations at local venues, and introducing new audiences to CMC and its programs.

Technology and the Modern Backcountry

The technology discussion focused on balancing innovation with the foundational outdoor skills that have always been central to CMC's mission. Volunteers agreed that technology can improve education, communication, and accessibility, but should complement rather than replace sound judgment and outdoor competency. Ideas generated by the group included:

• Teaching core competencies that transfer acros different technologies.
• Emphasizing fundamentals such as navigation and decision-making alongside digital tools.
• Leveraging artificial intelligence and automation to improve communication and administrative processes.
• Exploring opportunities for better digital tools for members and volunteers.
• Improving trip communication through modern platforms.
• Considering future tools such as mobile applications that enhance the member experience.

A common theme was that technology should help members build confidence, competence, and safety while maintaining the outdoor skills that define the CMC experience.

Dream Action Item: CMC App - where are our software engineers??