How can you connect with the members and Summit attendees in your space?  Here are a few opportunities to help you do just that.  

Meet-Ups (open to all attendees)

Host your own attendee meet-up! Connection is key at CAFO2020.  (See the current meet-ups.)  Join one of these or post your own meet-up plans by the help desk in the main lobby.

Member Organization Hospitality Room  

Some of the best connections take place in the “in-between” times!  This year Room A109 is for reserved for any staff from CAFO member organizations to hold side meetings and extended conversations.  (Open to CAFO Member Organizations only). Help yourself!

To further aid member networking and connection (and because we love free stuff & treats), visit this room at key times for special member-only food and give-aways:

Don’t miss these deep dive intensives designed specifically for leaders and organizations like yours!   2019 Members can use your member code 19CAFMEM to add these to your registration at a discounted rate.  

Becoming a Trauma Competent Caregiver (Monday & Tuesday, May 6-7, 9:00am – 5:00pm) 

Trauma Competent Caregiving: Sharpening Your Skills (Tuesday, May 7, 9:00am – 5:00pm) 

Moving Toward Family Solutions: An Immersive Simulation Experience  (Tuesday, May 7, 9:00am – 5:00pm) 

Free to Lead (Wednesday, May 8, 8:30am – 2:30pm) 

OVC Research Symposium: Vulnerable Children in a Digital Age (Wednesday, May 8, 8:30am – 2:30pm) 

Cultivating a Co-Missional Marriage (Wednesday, May 8, 8:30am – 2:30pm) 

CAFO2019 Exhibitor & Sponsor Luncheon (12:00pm – 1:00pm)

Exhibitors & Sponsors are our guest for this special lunch and opportunity to connect before Summit is in full swing! (If you haven’t yet signed up, see the CAFO2019 Member Packages for your discounted rates.)

CAFO Member Organization Welcome Reception (2:00pm – 3:00pm, Room AT 106)

We look forward to welcoming you to Summit!  Please start your Summit by joining this special hour of fellowship and refreshment with fellow CAFO members.  Grab your free Summit t-shirt while you’re there! (Available only to present members).

Critical Conversations: Innovation and Excellence in Child Sponsorship (4:15pm – 5:30pm)

Current child sponsorship models focus on creating a connection between sponsor and child. But do these connections ever come at the expense of a vulnerable child? Hear from an organization that is rethinking child sponsorship and consider how you may reshape your model to protect your children and honor their stories while continuing to engage donors in your mission.

CEO Forum: 2019 Issues, Strategies & Solutions (4:15pm – 5:30pm)

Join this time of private conversation and connection with CAFO President Jedd Medefind and fellow CAFO Member CEOs. Together, we’ll explore key national and global trends, as well as critical issues we are each facing and solutions we see to make a difference.  This session is open to CEOs and Executive Directors.

Moving the Needle: OVC Care in Peru (6:00pm – 7:15pm)

In any context, it takes significant collaboration to improve care systems for vulnerable children in families.  Of course, collaboration requires connection and a solid understanding of who is doing what.  Join this meeting to connect with others serving in Peru, learn about opportunities for collaboration, and dream together about a Peru in which all children are cared for with excellence.  (Please remember to pre-purchase your on-site dinner ticket when you register and bring your dinner with you.) 

Child Protection: Moving Toward a Culture of Safeguarding Children (Thursday, 10:00am – 12:00pm)

As in all good work, excellent care for vulnerable children begins with preventing harm. This focus on avoiding necessary trauma is especially vital for organizations and churches who work with vulnerable children, who may be without the natural security that comes from parental care. Every church and organizational member is at a different place on the journey toward excellence in child protection, and we can learn much together and from each other. This members-only session will focus on some basic tool, connection, and troubleshooting, and will launch a special CAFO-wide focus on child protection. (Facilitated by Matt Parker, Kids Alive)

CAFO Communication Collaborative (1:15pm – 2:15pm)

Building an Organization Culture Rooted in Spiritual Health (1:15pm – 2:15pm)

Most Christian organizations profess spiritual health as a value they care deeply about for their people as individuals, and their organizational culture as a whole. But what are the practical rhythms and actual practices that promote such health? And how do we go about implementing those rhythms and practices in real time? This session will take a practical approach to addressing these questions while leaving ample time for discussion among CAFO member organizations. (Jim Martin, International Justice Mission & Author of The Just Church)

Assessing Assessments: How Can We Strengthen the Home Study Process? (2:30pm – 3:30pm)

This members-only workshop is designed to both hear about research into best practices and discuss agency workers’ experiences with providing home studies. Come for an interactive discussion focused on how you prepare and assess families: What does your agency do well? What can others learn from you? Where do you have the most challenges? What do you hope to learn from others? (Ryan Hanlon, Adoption Council)  

International US Policies & Priorities for Vulnerable Children…And How You Might Fit In (3:45pm – 4:45pm)

While government alone can’t meet the world’s deepest needs, government policies carry major consequences for vulnerable children and families…and also for those who serve them.Hear from US government leaders on current international priorities, policies and programs that affect global OVC care.Whether you desire to seek public funding, to participate in non-financial partnership, or simply to better understand the environment in which you serve, this is for you.

Leveraging Your Data to Improve Programs and Communicate with Donors (9:45am – 10:45am)

How do you maximize your results from the Core Elements self-assessment taken during member renewal? Learn about CAFO-wide data trends, what your results mean, how they can improve your programming, and how to use them to communicate with your financial partners and other key stakeholders. (Mandy Howard, Samford University; Nicole Wilke, CAFO; Mike Douris, Orphan Outreach; Karl Dinkler, CAFO)

Understanding Domestic US Policies & Priorities for Vulnerable Children…And How You Might Fit In (9:45am – 10:45am)