🏡️ Our 2026 Community Trends Report is LIVE πŸŽ‰

Author

Paz Pisarski
March 08, 2026

The Community Collective Logo

"2026 will be a huge opportunity for community builders to create trust infrastructure in an AI-saturated world. People are craving unmistakably human experiences."

- Vanessa Intan @ Notion


Hey from Canada friends πŸ‘‹ πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦

Sending our March newsletter from Kelowna. I’ve been working remote in SilverStar in between skiing & hot chocolates β›·

Anyway I’m pumped to share this today we launch our NEW 2026 Community Trends Report πŸŽ‰ We spent months interviewing 20+ key voices in our industry to understand the best predictions for what’s ahead in community. And whilst we can’t predict the exact future, I’m blown away by the insights. Read on for more…

Today also marks International Women's Day. We have a special section expressing gratitude for the incredible humans supporting us 🧑 Can you spot your headshot?

Plus read on for top events x jobs updates & why you should apply for our 8-week Community Cohort #8 before 18 March… (only 22 spots left).

Grab a cuppa and enjoy the read! β˜•οΈ

My β€˜working from ski lodge’ set up

My β€˜in between’ work set up

Make us smile? Forward this email onto a friend to join 4.1k of us keeping up to date with the community x startup space, from an Aussie perspective 🦘

Email get’s clipped? Read full version here.

We spent months interviewing 20+ Key Voices across the community industry from Calendly x Notion x Burning Man & more to bring you the most important predictions for community building in 2026.

From AI and trust to engagement strategies and WhatsApp trends, it's all in here.

Enjoy the read πŸ‘‡ and thank you to all our Key Voices! You’re all legends.

β˜•οΈ Community Builders of IWD Month πŸ₯³

Today we're celebrating the incredible women-identifying legends who make The Community Collective what it is, our Ambassadors, Team, Advisors, Alumni, Mentors, Coaches, Hosts, Editors and many more across 18+ countries.

We wish we could fit EVERYONE on this page - but you know who you are.

We see you. We celebrate you. We are so grateful you're here 🧑 Thank you.

Thank you to you all & more!

🏡 Behind The CC Scenes

Get a sneak peek into what’s happening at The CC. Written by yours truly.

Cs at Growth Summit Melbroune

πŸŽ‰ Cohort #8 Speakers Announced: Our new speaker lineup is live and it's 🀯 Learn from these legends in 8-weeks and master the art of community building. Apply for Cohort #8 before 18 March. Plus download our Program PDF.

🀝 New Notion Events: We're excited to launch 2 new events with Notion πŸŽ‰ 

πŸ“Ί Behind The CC Scenes Event Series: Butter is closing 😒 so we're testing 5 event platforms LIVE. See which tech tools we’re exploring.

🎟 Community Partners: We're so pumped to be Community Partners for _SOUTHSTART x Blackbird Sunrise πŸŽ‰ Grab discounted tickets with our exclusive codes & join our private WhatsApp group for the inside scoop. Hit reply to access.

πŸ“ž Book A Call: Curious about how we can help you launch or grow a community in 2026? Book a call with our team to chat more about cohort #8.

🎀 Studio: Need to book a podcast recording studio in Sydney? Perhaps need a new video filmed? Get an email intro to our partner, Nudge Productions, in Surry Hills.

πŸŽ₯ Workshop Replay: Miss our live Community Strategy Workshop? The recording is now live.

🏡 Cohort #8 Info Session: Curious about joining us? Listen to all the details and hear from past alumni who've done it. Recording here.

Our Community Strategy Workshop

πŸ”₯ Community Jobs

Find the hottest jobs in the community and startup space. Written by Ines & Parkhi.

⚑️ Community Lead, Melbourne @ WeWork (Melbourne, Australia)

πŸš€ Community Lead, Brisbane @ WeWork (Brisbane, Australia)

⚑ Community Manager @ Tank Stream Labs (Sydney, Australia)

πŸš€ Community Manager @ Design Build (Sydney, Australia)

⚑ Community Engagement Specialist @ The Onset (Sydney, Australia)

πŸš€ Club Manager @ The Commons (Melbourne, Australia)

⚑ Community Engagement Manager @ Mosh (Sydney, Australia)

πŸš€ Events and Experience Manager @ B Lab Australia (Melbourne, Australia)

⚑ Social Media & Community Lead @ Koala (Sydney, Australia)

⚑ Community and Accounts Manager @ Investible (Sydney, Australia)

⚑ Community Engagement Manager @ Lime (Los Angeles, United States)

πŸš€ Senior Community Manager @ Duolingo (New York, United States)

⚑ Community Manager @ Wiz (United States)

πŸš€ Community Lead @ Lightfield (San Francisco, United States)

⚑ Community & Partnerships Lead @ August (New York, United States)

πŸš€ Head of Community @ Lovable (Stockholm, Sweden)

⚑ Community Manager, Madrid @ Canva (Madrid, Spain)

πŸš€ Community Program Manager @ Mendix (Rotterdam, Netherlands)

⚑ Community Manager @ Eucalyptus (London, United Kingdom)

πŸš€ Senior Community Manager @ Duolingo (London, United Kingdom)

⚑ Developer Community Lead, EMEA @ Anthropic (London, United Kingdom)

Are you hiring? Share the role with us here to be featured in our next newsletter to reach 4.1k+ community enthusiasts.

πŸ“† Monthly Community Events 

Upcoming events in the community x startup space. Written by Ines & Parkhi.

πŸ“9 March – TechWomen and Westpac – International Women's Day 2026: Give to Gain Hybrid (New Zealand & Online)

πŸ“10 March – AANZ Auckland Runway in Auckland, New Zealand

πŸ“10 March – SOUTHSTART 101: Networking Online

πŸ“11 March – Scaling Community Relationships at Squarespace Online

πŸ“11 March – NZ Tech Rally IWD 2026 – Wāhine shaping tech communities in Wellington, New Zealand

πŸ“12 March – Wade at 10: A Decade of Innovation Impact in Melbourne

πŸ“16 March – SOUTHSTART Eve: Adelaide Ecosystem Mixer in Adelaide

πŸ“17 March – AFTER DARK: SOUTHSTART Edn. @ The Stag Public House in Adelaide

πŸ“17 March – SOUTHSTART Social Poker @ Deep Work Basement in Adelaide

πŸ“17–19 March – SOUTHSTART 2026 in Adelaide

πŸ“18 March – Meditation and Poetry Evening with Henry Shukman in Adelaide

πŸ“23 Mar – 🏡 Behind The CC Scenes: Gatheround Demo Online

πŸ“25 March – VC Deck Breakdown: with Galileo Ventures Online

πŸ“25 March – AI Lovable Hackathon: Community Tools Edition Online

πŸ˜† Let’s Laugh

We love to leave you with a smile. Especially if you’ve ever tried building a community and found it harder than you thought πŸ˜† πŸ”¨ AKA we’ve all been there.

Until next time,

Paz, Ines, Parkhi and The CC Team