CAFO Summit Technology Discovery Meetings

In May 2014, my beautiful wife Anne and I were blessed to attend the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) Summit 2014. This was the fifth annual conference I was able to attend to learn more about the needs of the global orphan community. One of our goals was to also to gather with some of the technology thought leaders that were also in attendance. We had three similar meetings where we just gathered to understand greatest needs and learn about current best practices. We learned alot and met some awesome new contacts. Our biggest and best meeting, quite frankly, was on Friday, when we had Greg Buzek and some of his Retail Orphan Initiative (ROI) buddies were able to attend. We were also gratified to have Curtis Artis from CAFO join us. During this meeting we identified the following priorities for future discussion:

* Case Management – how to better keep track of individual child and family cases
• Data management – how to better manage data for improved programs and evidence-based research
• Donor management – how best to interact with donors and keep them engaged.
• Child sponsorship Management – how to manage child sponsorship programs.
• Security of Data – how to ensure that sensitive child data is keep private and secure according to international child protection standards
• Development of a portal to link ministries and their needs with individuals in larger, “Silicon Valley like” companies who could help. (Perhaps a portal, like NTEN utilized) – how can we match technology and business donors with specific ministry needs?
• Sharing of best practices – how can we share lessons learned on programmatic best practice and technology tools?
• How to run a ministry more effectively using technology – how technology might support the full range of operational needs that ministries have.
• Funding for technology/capacity – how to raise extra funds for technology use and training that can improve practice in ministries and/or show how investments in technology can save time and money by improving practice and streamlining processes etc.

These are topics that will have more discussion and are worthy of greater understanding.