Agenda Details
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2026 CAAP Conference
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Agenda Details • 2026 CAAP Conference •
Pre-Conference
Monday, October 26, 2026
Lunch will be provided to all participants.
Registration open: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Weatherization Boot Camp
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
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*Virtual option available.
This full-day session will provide participants with practical tools, professional development, and important program updates. Following a brief welcome, the National Community Action Partnership (NCAP) will lead an interactive workshop focused on strengthening essential soft skills. After lunch, participants will be guided through process mapping strategies designed to improve workflows, clarify responsibilities, and increase organizational efficiency. The day will conclude with updates from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (PA DCED) and Hancock, giving attendees timely information and an opportunity to discuss developments affecting their work.
Fiscal Boot Camp Day 1
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
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Join the team from McKonly & Asbury for a full-day session designed to strengthen financial stewardship, compliance, and strategic decision-making within nonprofit organizations. Participants will learn how to translate financial results into meaningful stories, navigate reporting and regulatory requirements, prepare effectively for audits, strengthen internal controls, and reduce organizational risk. The session will also explore emerging accounting and compliance developments, along with practical applications of AI, automation, and other technologies in budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and analytics. Interactive discussions, real-world lessons, networking, and actionable takeaways will help nonprofit finance professionals, organizational leaders, and board members return to their organizations better equipped to support accountability and make informed financial decisions.
Pre-Conference
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Lunch will be provided to all participants.
Registration open: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
CAAP Store open: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
The Organization Workshop
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
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*This session has limited availability.
Join facilitator Brenda Reynolds for a one-day experiential systems-learning workshop that brings organizational dynamics to life. Through an immersive simulation, participants will take on leadership, management, and individual contributor roles while navigating time pressures, competing priorities, and organizational boundaries. Guided reflection and discussion will help participants recognize recurring patterns, strengthen cross-boundary collaboration, and identify practical ways to apply systems thinking within their organizations and communities.
Intended Audience: Middle Management and Leadership
Executive Leadership Meeting
CAAPy Hour
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CAAP members only!
Join us for CAAP’s Annual Meeting and Executive Leadership Meeting, where agency leaders come together to connect, share insights, and discuss key priorities for the year ahead. This gathering offers a valuable opportunity for networking, collaboration, and strategic dialogue. More details to come.
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
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Halloween-Themed CAAPy Hour
Sponsored by Marsh McLennan and Key Risk Insurance!Get ready for a frightfully fun evening! This year’s CAAPy Hour will be Halloween-themed, so come dressed in your best costume. Awards will be presented for:
Funniest Costume
Best Dressed
Most Creative Costume
Location: Eden Resort and Suites, Encore Lounge
Fiscal Boot Camp Day 2
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
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Join us for Day 2 of Fiscal Boot Camp, featuring practical, interactive sessions designed to strengthen your organization’s financial operations. In the morning, RKL’s virtual team will lead an engaging session on adaptive budgeting, sharing strategies to help organizations respond effectively to changing needs and financial conditions. In the afternoon, Brandi Fleming, Executive Director of Indiana County Community Action Program, Inc. (ICCAP), will explore how to bridge the gap between program and fiscal staff, improve communication, and build stronger collaboration across teams.
Main Conference
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Registration open: 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Breakfast: 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Welcome and Opening: 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Headshots 10:30 AM - 3:15 PM (pre registration required).
Karlo Gesner Photography will be behind the camera, helping you get a fresh, polished photo that stands out.
CAAP Store open: 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
9:30am Keynote: Marie Conley!
Leading with Empathy: One Point at a Time
When your work centers on helping others, it’s easy to treat exhaustion as part of the job. But what happens when pushing through is no longer an option?
For Marie Conley, a rare, life-threatening disease changed how she understood success, capacity, and leadership. With candor and humor, she shares the lessons that shaped her approach to leading with purpose, protecting energy, and recognizing the invisible demands people carry.
A CliftonStrengths® Coach, SHRM-Certified Professional, and founder of Conley Consulting, Marie brings practical tools for putting empathy into action. Through her interactive Point-Worthy Life™ exercise, you’ll examine your daily demands and discover a new way to think about boundaries, priorities, and what deserves your attention.
Leave with a framework for supporting your people, honoring your capacity, and sustaining the work that makes your Mission: Possible.
Session 1
Wednesday, October 28
11:00 AM - 12:05 PM
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This session explores how nonprofits can redesign workflows, streamline systems, and leverage technology to increase efficiency and productivity—making a reduced work week possible without reducing pay, impact, or service quality, while intentionally centering employee well-being and work-life balance.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standards:
Standard 1.2 - The organization analyzes information collected directly from low-income individuals as part of the community assessment.
Standard 1.3 - The organization has a systematic approach for collecting, analyzing, and reporting customer satisfaction data to the governing board.
Standard 9.1 - The organization has a system or systems in place to track and report client demographics and services customers receive.
Standard 9.2 - The organization has a system or systems in place to track family, agency, and/or community outcomes.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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This workshop will share models of collaborative food programming, including a community-based food hub and a food policy council, to address food insecurity in partnership with a variety of organizations, focusing on Union-Snyder Community Action Agency’s partnership with Bucknell University.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standards:
Standard 2.2 - The organization utilizes information gathered from key sectors of the community in assessing needs and resources, during the community assessment process or other times. These sectors would include at minimum: community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, private sector, public sector, and educational institutions.
Standard 2.3 - The organization communicates its activities and its results to the community.
Standard 6.2 - The approved strategic plan addresses reduction of poverty, revitalization of low-income communities, and/or empowerment of people with low incomes to become more self- sufficient.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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An engaging session equipping community action leaders to identify practical AI use cases, understand workforce impacts, and gain ideas for responsible adoption, with time to discuss. Drawing on Goodwill Keystone's AI Forge and GAINS summit, explore real examples—from mission delivery to board recruitment—that reduce burden and amplify human potential without replacing it.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standards:
Standard 1.2 - The organization analyzes information collected directly from low-income individuals as part of the community assessment.
Standard 1.3 - The organization has a systematic approach for collecting, analyzing, and reporting customer satisfaction data to the governing board.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Standard 9.1 - The organization has a system or systems in place to track and report client demographics and services customers receive.
Standard 9.2 - The organization has a system or systems in place to track family, agency, and/or community outcomes.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Learn how to lead and facilitate comfortable, productive conversations about concerning risks. This workshop offers practical strategies, insights, and tangible takeaways related to conversations focused on an agency's top risks. Learn how to lead jargon-free conversations about risk, identify your risks, foster a risk-aware culture, and develop mission-suited risk action plans.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standards:
Standard 4.6 - An organization-wide, comprehensive risk assessment has been completed within the past 2 years and reported to the governing board.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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As Pennsylvania strengthens its response to homelessness and housing instability, this workshop explores how the Prepared Renters Education Program (PREP), through perspectives from both the program developer and a rural Community Action Agency, prepares renters for long-term housing success by combining education with practical implementation.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standards:
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
Networking Lunch: 12:05 PM - 1:20 PM
Self-Care Hour: Take a break and recharge with KPETS Therapy Dogs and massage therapists from Tranquil Therapy! Enjoy friendly pups and a relaxing massage—the perfect way to de-stress and reset during the conference.
Session 2
1:20 PM - 2:50 PM
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Through story and the science of how witnessing suffering affects us, this interactive session helps community action staff differentiate burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and moral injury, and walk away with a personal protection plan plus concrete strategies their team can put to use immediately.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Explore one agency's journey to becoming trauma responsive, and learn how leadership, staff engagement, policies, and everyday practices transformed its organizational culture. Discover how they built staff buy-in, developed a shared understanding of what trauma means, and moved from learning about trauma to putting those principles into practice.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 7.1 - The organization has written personnel policies that have been reviewed by an attorney and approved by the governing board within the past 5 years.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or makes available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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What's changing, what's new, and what's next? Join DCED leaders for a candid look at Annual Report 3.0 changes, plus an inside look at the COPOS Work Group's progress. Come with your toughest questions—this is your chance for real answers.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or makes available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Deal yourself in for a lighthearted, humor-filled take on leadership best practices, pitfalls, and planning—including knowing when to hold them, fold them, and when to walk away! Drawing lessons that apply across sectors, this session covers making thoughtful decisions, adapting to change, building resilience and teamwork, delegating effectively, and leading with confidence and authenticity.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 7.4 - The governing board conducts a performance appraisal of the CEO/executive director within each calendar year.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Performance reviews are only as good as the conversations and goals behind them. This active working session is built around two things nonprofit leaders can put to use immediately: coaching skills that make feedback land with clarity and kindness, and a repeatable process for writing SMART goals that are ambitious, mission-aligned, and realistic given nonprofit constraints.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 7.6 - The organization has a policy in place for regular written evaluation of employees by their supervisors.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
Refreshment Break: 2:50 PM - 3:15 PM
Session 3
3:15 PM - 4:20 PM
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Dr. Cindy Howard's SHIFT™ workshop equips community action professionals with a practical, five-step framework for reframing negativity bias, communicating with intention, and building resilience under pressure, so leaders and frontline staff can protect their well-being while continuing to show up fully for the people and communities they serve.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Two years after launching a community-led mobile food pantry, Geisinger and CSO will share how data-informed healthcare and partnerships with Community Action Agencies have evolved into a scalable regional food access strategy, expanding locations, strengthening referral pathways, integrating technology, and connecting thousands of rural residents to food and social support services.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 2.2 - The organization utilizes information gathered from key sectors of the community in assessing needs and resources, during the community assessment process or other times. These sectors would include at minimum: community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, private sector, public sector, and educational institutions.
Standard 2.3 - The organization communicates its activities and its results to the community.
Standard 6.2 - The approved strategic plan addresses reduction of poverty, revitalization of low-income communities, and/or empowerment of people with low incomes to become more self- sufficient.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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This interactive session helps Community Action Agencies identify where AI can responsibly support staff and streamline workflows, while building the policies and safeguards needed to protect client trust and remain mission-focused.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 1.2 - The organization analyzes information collected directly from low-income individuals as part of the community assessment.
Standard 1.3 - The organization has a systematic approach for collecting, analyzing, and reporting customer satisfaction data to the governing board.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Standard 9.1 - The organization has a system or systems in place to track and report client demographics and services customers receive.
Standard 9.2 - The organization has a system or systems in place to track family, agency, and/or community outcomes.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Discover how the SCP GROWTH Index reveals the hidden elements that shape a thriving workplace. Learn how this annual assessment uncovers strengths, exposes cultural gaps, and equips leaders to boost engagement, well-being, and retention.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standards:
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Successful grants aren't written by one person—they're built by teams. This session explores the grant development process, key stakeholders, and the internal systems and readiness organizations need to compete effectively. Learn how to determine when a funding opportunity is worth pursuing, tell your story, demonstrate capacity, and align program design, staffing, and budgets.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standards:
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
CAAPtivating Excellence Awards
CAAPy Hour: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM
Program: 6:45 PM
Photobooth will be available all evening.
Semi-formal attire recommended.
Thank you to our Sponsors
Main Conference
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Registration: 7:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Breakfast: 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
CAAP Store open: 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Mission Possible: The Mirror, the Weight & the Work
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Join Hattie B. and Dr. Amber Sessoms for an honest and empowering conversation about what it means to lead, serve, and sustain ourselves in mission-driven work. Together, they’ll explore the purpose that calls us to the work, the weight we carry along the way, and the importance of extending the same grace, humanity, and compassion to ourselves that we so freely give to others.
Through reflection and practical strategies around boundaries, resilience, self-compassion, and reconnecting with purpose, this conversation invites leaders to consider how we can continue changing lives without losing ourselves in the process and what becomes possible when we remember that the mission includes us, too.
Break: 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Session 4
Thursday, October 29
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
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As leaders, we are charged not only with the work of today, but also the long-term strength of our organizations. Building organizations that are strong, stable, and resilient is ever more important.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 4.3 - The organization's Community Action plan and strategic plan document the continuous use of the full Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) cycle or comparable system (assessment, planning, implementation, achievement of results, and evaluation). In addition, the organization documents having used the services of a ROMA- certified trainer (or equivalent) to assist in implementation.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Nonprofit work has never been simple, and right now the ground keeps shifting—new requirements, funding uncertainty, staff exhaustion, growing client needs. This workshop gives leaders and team members practical tools for talking about hard things, steadying their teams, and staying connected to those they serve, without pretending it's easy or trying to carry it all alone.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Today's grant reviewers are evaluating far more than program ideas. Learn what financial questions in grant applications are really assessing, how to identify the concerns behind those questions, and how to craft compelling responses that demonstrate your organization's financial readiness, reduce perceived risk, and improve funding competitiveness.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 8.12 - The organization documents how it allocates shared costs through an indirect cost rate, or through a written cost allocation plan.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Leadership influences far more than performance—it shapes workplace culture, morale, staff wellbeing, and organizational resilience through everyday behaviors. This interactive session explores how strengths-based, trauma-informed leadership practices help create psychologically safer workplaces where trust, engagement, wellbeing, and retention can flourish.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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For nearly 30 years, Bucks County Opportunity Council has operated an Economic Self-Sufficiency (ES) program that helps families build careers, increase income, and achieve long-term stability. Join the CEOs of Bucks County Opportunity Council and Community Progress Council as they share lessons learned from building and sustaining ES programs. Explore readiness, leadership, board engagement, staffing, funding, and implementation, and learn about a new cohort that will support agencies launching their own ES programs.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 4.2 - The organization's Community Action plan is outcome-based, anti-poverty focused, and ties directly to the community assessment.
Standard 4.3 - The organization's Community Action plan and strategic plan document the continuous use of the full Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) cycle or comparable system (assessment, planning, implementation, achievement of results, and evaluation). In addition, the organization documents having used the services of a ROMA- certified trainer (or equivalent) to assist in implementation.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
Networking Lunch: 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Another Chance to Recharge! Massage therapists from Tranquil Therapy will be back during lunch! Stop by for a relaxing break before heading into your afternoon sessions.
Session 5
12:45 PM - 1:55 PM
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Explore best practices for outreach to individuals with mental illness, with a focus on reducing stigma and building trust. Participants will learn to recognize and safely respond to crises and practice recovery-oriented approaches through discussion and small-group exercises that support effective Street Outreach.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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The organizations that thrive are not always the ones that chase opportunities; they are the ones positioned to recognize them first. This session explores how mission-driven organizations can align community needs, emerging trends, and strategic partnerships to uncover new opportunities, build unlikely collaborations, and expand impact beyond traditional funding pathways.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 4.2 - The organization's Community Action plan is outcome-based, anti-poverty focused, and ties directly to the community assessment.
Standard 6.2 - The approved strategic plan addresses reduction of poverty, revitalization of low-income communities, and/or empowerment of people with low incomes to become more self- sufficient.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Join this interactive panel discussion to learn how one Community Action Agency transformed technology from a reactive support function into a strategic driver of mission impact. Panelists will share lessons learned from strengthening cybersecurity, modernizing systems, adopting cloud solutions, supporting staff through change, and building a technology foundation that better serves the organization and its community.
Moderator: Paul Schwarzer
Panelists: Sheldon Kepiro and Shawn SweigartThis real-world conversation will offer practical insights, challenges, and successes that can help agencies leverage technology more effectively to advance their mission.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Standard 9.1 - The organization has a system or systems in place to track and report client demographics and services customers receive.
Standard 9.2 - The organization has a system or systems in place to track family, agency, and/or community outcomes.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Join a panel of Delaware County organizations piloting a more coordinated approach to home repair and Weatherization services for single-family homeowners. Panelists will discuss how they are aligning funding and administrative processes to make more comprehensive home improvements possible. They’ll share lessons from the pilot, its potential to improve housing quality, safety, affordability, and stability, and what it would take to expand the model.
Upon request, CAAP will provide documentation regarding participation to substantiate any needs related to the following Organization Standard(s):
Standard 2.2 - The organization utilizes information gathered from key sectors of the community in assessing needs and resources, during the community assessment process or other times. These sectors would include at minimum: community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, private sector, public sector, and educational institutions.
Standard 2.3 - The organization communicates its activities and its results to the community.
Standard 6.2 - The approved strategic plan addresses reduction of poverty, revitalization of low-income communities, and/or empowerment of people with low incomes to become more self- sufficient.
Standard 7.9 - The organization conducts or make available staff development/training (including ROMA) on an ongoing basis.
Reach out to info@thecaap.org for documentation or proof of attendance.
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Have questions about CAAP? Join this open session to connect with CAAP staff and learn more about the resources, services, and support available to members. Discover the value of CAAPLearn and the Info Hub, and bring any other CAAP-related questions you’d like answered.
Break: 1:55 PM - 2:10 PM
Plenary Session & Closing Session
2:10 PM - 3:30 PM
Get the inside scoop on the exclusive resources, opportunities, and support available to CAAP members as we gear up for a year full of growth, collaboration, and innovation. Don’t miss it!
Be sure to pick up your goodie bag for a farewell treat as you head home!
Thank you to our Sponsors
Register today!
The 2026 CAAP Conference brings together organizations driven by heart and purpose. It’s where bold ideas, innovative solutions, and forward-thinking practices take root, grounded in the advocacy and leadership of those who came before us. Registration closes September 7 at 5pm.