2026 CAAP Conference: Mission: Possible
Image Description: 2026 CAAP Conference: Mission Possible graphic styled as a folder, with a photo of keynote speaker Marie Conley and the PA Health & Wellness logo.
Across Pennsylvania, human services professionals are taking on work that can feel impossible. The needs are complex. The systems are complicated. The pressure is real.
Still, every day, people across this network keep showing up with focus, care, and determination. They’re helping families navigate urgent needs, strengthening programs, building partnerships, supporting staff, and finding new ways to serve their communities. Even amid rising pressure and tightening budgets.
That is why gathering together in unity for this mission is so important.
The 2026 CAAP Conference: Mission: Possible will bring the Community Action network and other human services professionals together in Lancaster from October 26–29, 2026, for learning, connection, strategy, and renewed purpose.
This year’s conference is designed to help attendees step away from the urgency of daily work long enough to strengthen how they do it. It’s a chance to connect with people who understand the mission, learn from experts and peers, and return home with ideas that can be used in real work.
Whether you’ve attended CAAP conferences before or this will be your first time joining us, this year’s experience will offer something meaningful.
Image Description: Testimonial quote on a blue and magenta background: “I walk away every year prouder to be a part of the CAAP network and more grounded in my work/career.”
Why the 2026 CAAP Conference Matters
Community Action work has never been simple.
Agencies and partners are navigating limited capacity, changing expectations, complex funding, growing community needs, workforce challenges, and systems that often don’t move as quickly as the people serving communities need them to move.
No one should have to figure that out alone.
The CAAP Conference creates space for professionals across Pennsylvania’s human services network to learn from one another, ask honest questions, and spend time with people who understand both the weight and the purpose of the work.
This year’s theme, Mission: Possible, speaks to that reality.
The mission may be difficult, but it is not out of reach. Stronger teams, better tools, thoughtful strategy, and deeper connections can help agencies keep moving forward.
Image description: Testimonial quote on a blue background with magenta edges: “It was hopeful in a time where hope is hiding.”
Pre-Conference Sessions Are Back
Before the main conference begins, attendees will have the opportunity to take part in focused pre-conference sessions on October 26 and 27.
These sessions are designed for professionals who want more time to go deeper into a specific area of their work.
On Monday, October 26, attendees can take part in Fiscal Boot Camp or Weatherization Boot Camp. The Leadership CAAP Fellows will also gather that day for their second in-person session as they continue their 10-month leadership development program. These sessions will offer concentrated learning for professionals working through the responsibilities, decisions, and program realities that shape Community Action work.
On Tuesday, October 27, the Fiscal Boot Camp continues with a second day of practical learning. CAAP will also host the Executive Leadership & Annual Meeting, created specifically for Community Action Program leadership. This gathering gives leaders time to connect with peers, discuss priorities across the network, and participate in CAAP’s Annual Meeting.
New this year is The Organization Workshop, an interactive session that helps participants take a closer look at how their organizations work, where challenges may be slowing progress, and what stronger alignment could make possible.
Tuesday’s activities will wrap up with a Halloween-themed CAAPy Hour, sponsored by Key Risk Insurance and Marsh McLennan Agency. It’ll be a casual chance to connect with fellow attendees before the main conference begins, and costumes are encouraged, so feel free to dress up and join the fun.
These pre-conference sessions are built for practical application. Attendees will have time to ask questions, work through real challenges, exchange ideas, and think about what they can bring back to their agencies.
Image description: Testimonial quote in white text on a magenta background with blue edges: “Each session of the boot camp was truly beneficial, from strengths to the scenarios.”
What’s New This Year
For those who have joined us at the CAAP Conference before, 2026 will include several new and refreshed opportunities.
This year’s conference will include new and improved networking opportunities, giving attendees more ways to connect with peers, partners, speakers, and other professionals across the network.
Image description: Testimonial quote in white text on a blue background with magenta edges: “Networking was invaluable and worth the travel.”
Attendees can also look forward to an interview booth with Hattie McCarter, creating another space for storytelling and reflection during the conference.
Additionally, because this work can take a real toll on the body and mind, this year’s conference will also include massages as part of the attendee experience. It’s a small but important reminder that people doing mission-driven work need moments to pause, breathe, and be cared for too.
These additions reflect something CAAP believes deeply: a strong conference should not only deliver information. It should also create connection, energy, care, and space for people to feel renewed.
Image description: Testimonial quote in white text on a magenta background with blue edges: “I appreciated that the conference offered a balance of caring for self and opportunity to stretch thinking and growth.”
Main Conference Highlights
The main conference begins on Wednesday, October 28, with registration, the CAAP Store, the welcome session, and the opening keynote.
Keynote Speaker: Marie Conley, Founder of Conley Consulting, LLC
Marie Conley is the founder of Conley Consulting, LLC, a certified Women’s Business Enterprise specializing in workforce engagement, team building, and leadership development. A CliftonStrengths® Coach and SHRM-Certified Professional, Marie works with professionals at every level, from frontline staff to executives, to strengthen culture, communication, collaboration, and connection.
Session Focus
Marie’s keynote will invite attendees to take a closer look at something that affects all of us: where our energy goes. Using her Point-Worthy Life Tracker, participants will consider the physical and mental energy required by the many responsibilities they carry, both personally and professionally.
The exercise looks beyond the obvious demands of the workday to include everything from caregiving and household responsibilities to difficult conversations, urgent requests, compliance issues, high-stakes meetings, and the administrative work that never seems to stop.
Why It Matters
Community Action professionals are used to carrying a lot, often while helping others navigate challenges of their own. Taking time to recognize where that energy is being spent can help us better understand our capacity, how we support one another, and what stronger, more sustainable workplaces can look like.
Marie’s people-centered approach is a natural fit for this year’s Mission: Possible theme. Strong organizations depend on people who feel connected, supported, and equipped to keep doing meaningful work, even when the demands are high.
Image description: “Keynote: Marie Conley” in magenta and blue text on lined paper, beside a photo of Marie Conley smiling, with blonde hair and a white shirt.
After the keynote, attendees will move into breakout sessions covering a wide range of topics relevant to Community Action agencies, nonprofit leaders, and human services professionals.
Wednesday will also include professional headshots, therapy dogs, and plenty of time to connect throughout the day. Before the CAAPtivating Excellence Award Ceremony and dinner, attendees can gather for another CAAPy Hour in a more formal setting, complete with a photo booth. The evening will then continue with a celebration of the people whose leadership, service, and dedication make a difference across our communities.
On Thursday, October 29, attendees will continue with breakfast, a panel discussion between Hattie McCarter and Amber Sessoms, additional breakout sessions, lunch, and a plenary and closing session with CAAP.
Together, these two days will give attendees time to learn, reflect, connect, and prepare for the work ahead.
Image description: Testimonial quote in white text on a blue background with magenta edges: “This was a phenomenal conference. I’ve attended different conferences in the past and I was amazed by the details and dedication that went into this conference.”
Practical Learning You Can Bring Home
One of the things that makes CAAP Conference valuable is that it is grounded in real work.
Sessions are designed to help attendees think about the challenges they are facing now: leadership, operations, weatherization, fiscal responsibility, organizational health, housing, food systems, partnerships, technology, trauma-responsive work, burnout, grant readiness, and more.
Attendees should leave with more than inspiration. They should leave with practical tools, stronger connections, and ideas they can bring back to their teams.
That may mean a new strategy for supporting staff. A better way to think about organizational alignment. A stronger understanding of fiscal responsibilities. A practical tool for improving workflows. A new connection with someone facing a similar challenge. Or a renewed sense that the mission is difficult, but possible when the network moves together.
Image description: Testimonial quote in white text on a blue background with magenta edges: “Such an engaging and focused event, really enjoyed the speakers and spaces for discussion.”
Registration and Important Deadlines
If you are planning to attend, now is the time to register.
Registration is available through October 7 at 5:00 p.m. Pricing is $300 for CAAP members and $400 for non-members.
Image description: Testimonial quote in blue text on lined white paper with blue edges: “The information was so accessible and immediately useful!”
Join Us in Lancaster
Across Pennsylvania, human services and nonprofit professionals are building stronger agencies, more responsive programs, and new possibilities for the people and communities they serve.
The challenges are real.
So are the experience, creativity, and commitment of this network.
The 2026 CAAP Conference is an opportunity to step into that shared purpose together.
Come ready to learn, to connect, and to share what you know and discover what others are building across the Commonwealth.
Most of all, come ready to return to your agency with new ideas, stronger relationships, and renewed energy for the mission ahead.
The work is complex.
The mission is possible.
Register today and join CAAP in Lancaster for the 2026 CAAP Conference.
Image description: Testimonial quote in white text on a blue background with magenta edges: “This continues to be one of the most valuable learning and engagement experiences each year.”