CAFO2026 Bonus Opportunities
Explore these special sessions and events to learn and connect before and during CAFO2026.
Wednesday, September 23rd | 5:30-7:00pm | On-site at the church
MORE THAN ENOUGH COMMUNITY REUNION
If you are on staff at a US organization, agency or church ministry working to provide more than enough for children and families in foster care, don’t miss this time to be refreshed and energized by one another!
Space for this on-site dinner is limited — so register today to ensure you can join us.
Cost: $25. Please purchase one ticket on each person's registration information. Group discount available for 10+ people; see Group Rate Request Form for further details.
Wednesday, September 23rd, 5:30-7:00pm
First Baptist Church Atlanta
Wednesday, September 23rd | 1:00-2:15pm
First Baptist Church of Atlanta
Spots are limited and pre-registration is required — so don't wait to
add one to your CAFO2026 registration!
Curt Thompson, MD, The Center for Being Known | $15
THE DEEPEST PLACE
Suffering and the Formation of Hope
To be human is to suffer, but our experience of it, as it turns out, has a great deal to do with the story that we tell in our own minds about it--what suffering is, what it means, and what it tells us about ourselves and God. Moreover, in the work of caring for
vulnerable children, suffering can seem to track us in its own particular way. In this workshop we will explore how we can tell a truer story about ourselves--and about Jesus--and discover the role suffering plays in helping us do just that as we form deep, durable hope along the way.
Jamie Finn, Foster the Family | $15
HOPE IN THE HARD
For Foster & Adoptive Parents
Foster and adoptive parenting is hard and holy work. This session offers honest, gospel-centered encouragement for caregivers walking through the complexities of trauma, transition, grief, and endurance. Drawing from Scripture and her lived experience as a foster and adoptive mom, Jamie gently names the weight of the hard of foster care and adoption, while pointing parents back to the steady, sustaining hope found in Christ. This session invites weary caregivers to remember what is true and to leave strengthened–by resting more deeply in the One who sees, sustains, and faithfully works in and through their parenting.
Greg Buzek, Retail Orphan Initiative | $15
AI AS YOUR FORCE MULTIPLIER
A Hands-On Workshop for Non-Profit Leaders
Most nonprofit leaders have dipped a toe into AI. This hands on intensive shows you how to dive. Move beyond basic experiments and learn how today’s AI tools can help write grant proposals, streamline donor communications, build a 24/7 knowledge base from your existing content, and automate the repetitive tasks that drain your team’s time. Through real nonprofit scenarios, you will learn a simple prompting framework, practice with powerful free and low cost tools, and identify workflows AI can begin handling immediately. No technical background required. Just bring a laptop and leave with practical skills, installed tools, and a 30 day action plan to multiply your ministry’s capacity without multiplying your budget.
Beth Guckenberger, Back2Back Ministries | $15
DON'T LET THE MISSION DIVIDE THE MARRIAGE
Guarding Your Relationship While Growing Your Family
Come join the Guckenbergers, married 32 years, and parents to 11 children (adopted, foster and biological) as they share their cautionary tales and marriage best practices. Beth and Todd co-lead Back2Back Ministries and have lived internationally for 15 years. This is not for a PG audience, as they will talk openly about conflict, communication, and intimacy. We will address the complex demands facing families in ministry, adoption, and foster care, and provide guidance on clarifying expectations and setting sustainable priorities.
Vernon Burger, His Voice Global | $15
RISK JOY
Using Poetry in Healing, Grief and Lament
Grief and darkness have a way of leaving us speechless — unable to find words for what we're carrying. This workshop creates space for you to explore one of the most powerful and often overlooked tools for lament and healing. Along the way, you'll discover what the research says about how poetry has helped people heal through pain and confusion, and why its biblical roots make it a uniquely trustworthy companion for dark seasons. You'll leave with new lenses for making poetry accessible — not as a literary exercise, but as a personal and community resource for walking alongside others well. Every attendee receives a printed guide with practical next steps you can return to again and again, whether you're in the middle of a hard season or supporting someone who is.
Jason Johnson, CAFO | $15
FORMATION-DRIVEN ENGAGEMENT
For Sustainable Impact
This practical workshop is designed for church and organizational leaders seeking to reframe recruitment and mobilization around transformation—not transaction. Participants will explore how to engage people in meaningful, mission-aligned ways that prioritize the spiritual formation of those being invited, cultivating depth of discipleship that ultimately results in sustained care for vulnerable children and families. Through proven strategies, engagement frameworks, and measurement tools, leaders will leave better equipped to cultivate deeper commitment and evaluate the lasting impact of their efforts.
Jedd Schroy, CAFO | $15
MEASURING WHAT MATTERS
What to Measure, What to Stop Measuring and How to Talk About Impact
Most organizations can report activities and impressive outputs. The harder question is whether anything is better because of the work, and how to communicate that with clarity and credibility. Participants will explore a practical impact measurement framework that helps leaders identify the outcomes that matter most, spot common “noise metrics” that create busy reporting, and describe results with appropriate context, such as baselines or benchmarks. The session includes a conversation with a guest CAFO member CEO who will share what they measure, what they stopped measuring and what they are still improving. Attendees will leave with a set of prompts and a simple template to take back to their team.
Mike Duerksen, Fundraising Academy | $15
FROM HAMSTER WHEEL TO FLYWHEEL
How to Build Sustainable Fundraising Momentum
Fundraising can feel like running on a hamster wheel. You're working hard but not getting anywhere. You pour energy into one-off events and campaigns, only to end up right back where you started, scrambling for the next dollar.
In this practical workshop, you'll learn how to get off the hamster wheel for good by building a Fundraising Flywheel -- a simple, repeatable system that replaces chaos with lasting momentum. You'll leave with actionable steps to help you build stronger relationships, transform donors into owners of your cause, and secure the sustainable revenue your mission deserves.
Zawadi Morrow & the CAFO Worship Team | Free
SOUL PAUSE
Pause before jumping into the big gift exchange of Summit. Come as you are — weary from the road, carrying whatever you've hauled in from the demands of life and ministry. Fix your thoughts on things above as you cross the threshold into Summit — and trust that your good Father is more than capable of carrying what you lay at His feet. Leave lighter than you arrived, and let your heart be genuinely ready for the days ahead together. We’ll worship together and engage in guided soul care practices to open our hands, trusting our good Father with all we’ve carried in with us and rejuvenate our hearts for the next days together. (Led by the CAFO Worship Team)