Minnesota Quilters Inc

What Minnesota Quilters Inc does

Minnesota Quilters, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership guild incorporated in Minnesota in 1978, serving approximately 800 individual and business members across the Upper Midwest. The organization operates as the statewide hub for quilting community, education, and heritage preservation, delivering value through its flagship annual Minnesota Quilt Show (3,500–4,000 visitors), hybrid monthly membership meetings (in-person and Zoom), the MQ 2026 Online Mystery Quilt program, day retreats and multi-day getaways, a Quilting for Others community service program, and the Minnesota Quilt Project, which has documented over 6,000 quilts and digitized oral histories made available via The Quilt Index at Michigan State University.

The technology stack is intentionally lightweight and SaaS-dependent rather than proprietary. Operations run on a WordPress website (Astra theme), GlueUp for membership management, Square for the MQ Store e-commerce, Cvent for event registration, SignUpGenius for volunteer coordination, and Zoom for hybrid meetings. No proprietary software, APIs, AI capabilities, or mobile applications are offered. The technical posture is appropriate for a volunteer-led nonprofit with three paid staff (Office Manager, Show Director, Bookkeeper) and nine board positions.

The revenue model is diversified across membership dues (recurring, exact tiers undisclosed), annual show revenue from admissions, vendor booth fees, and workshops, merchandise sales via the MQ Store, monthly newsletter advertising (rates $12–$175/month with multi-month prepay discounts), grants (including the 2021 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage grant), cash and in-kind donations (e.g., Hobbs batting), and corporate sponsorships (Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze tiers). Customer segments include individual quilters (primary), regional quilting guilds, and quilting-related businesses. Marketing is community-led, centered on the MQ News newsletter (over 900 copies distributed monthly), the website, Facebook, and the annual show as the flagship engagement event.

Name

Minnesota Quilters Inc

Legal name

Minnesota Quilters, Inc.

Website

https://mnquilt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Minnesota Quilters, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership guild founded in 1978, serving approximately 800 quilters across the Upper Midwest through an annual quilt show, monthly meetings, educational programs, heritage preservation via the Minnesota Quilt Project, and community service initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual and business membership fees. Renewals handled via GlueUp online portal or paper forms. Specific pricing tiers not publicly listed.
2. Annual Quilt Show Revenue: Revenue from show admission tickets, workshop and lecture fees, vendor booth fees, and related show merchandise. The show draws 3,500-4,000 visitors annually.
3. MQ Store Merchandise: Sale of MQ merchandise including logo apparel, quilting-related goods through the Square e-commerce storefront.
4. Newsletter Advertising: Monthly newsletter (MQ News) with over 900 copies distributed. Advertising rates from $12 (classified) to $175 (full page) per month, with 6-month and 12-month pre-pay discounts available.
5. Grants and Donations: MQ receives grants including from the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage grant program for digitizing oral histories. Also receives cash donations and Hobbs batting company UPC labels for the Quilting for Others program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Minnesota Quilters, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that promotes quilting through an annual regional quilt show, monthly membership meetings, multi-day sewing retreats, quilting education programs (workshops, lectures, Mystery Quilt), a community service program that donates quilts to shelters and hospitals, and a heritage-preservation initiative that documents quilts and oral histories. It serves approximately 800 individual members and connects with 60+ regional quilt guilds across Minnesota and surrounding states.

Product overview

Minnesota Quilters, Inc. is a nonprofit quilting organization (501(c)(3)) incorporated in 1978 with approximately 800 members. The organization operates as a unified membership-based platform offering quilting education, community engagement, and heritage preservation through interconnected programs and events. The core offerings include The Minnesota Quilt Show (annual regional show in St. Cloud), monthly Membership Meetings (hybrid Zoom/in-person), MQ 2026 Online Mystery Quilt program, MQ Store (merchandise and tickets via Square), Day Retreats and Getaways (extended quilting retreats), and Quilting for Others (community service with patterns and kits). Supporting infrastructure includes the Minnesota Quilt Project (MQP) for quilt documentation via The Quilt Index, MQ Quilt Collection (historical quilts), MQ News newsletter, Grant Program, Quilter of the Year Award, GlueUp Member Portal for membership management, and Guilds Directory for regional quilt community connection. Business membership provides commercial supporters with visibility on the Business Members page. The organization does not offer any technology products, APIs, or AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Minnesota Quilt Show: The organization's annual regional quilt show, one of the premier quilting events in the United States drawing visitors from the upper Midwest and beyond.
• Minnesota Quilt Project (MQP)
• MQ News

Products and services

• The Minnesota Quilt Show Flagship annual regional quilt show held in mid-June featuring hundreds of quilts, vendor shopping, workshops, lectures, and networking opportunities for quilters from the upper Midwest and beyond.
• Membership Meetings Monthly meetings held on the first Thursday (Zoom) and following Saturday (in-person and Zoom hybrid) featuring presentations, show-and-tell, and educational content for quilters of all skill levels.
• MQ 2026 Online Mystery Quilt Year-long mystery quilt program where participants receive monthly clues to create a quilt designed by a featured designer. Registration opens in fall with clues running January through September.
• MQ Store Online store selling MQ merchandise, guest passes for monthly meetings, and tickets for The Minnesota Quilt Show, powered by Square e-commerce platform.
• Day Retreats Three-day sewing retreats held at the MQ Office in St. Paul, offering quilters extended time to work on projects alongside other quilters with on-site hosts.
• Getaways Extended quilting retreats held at Camp Wapogasset in Amery, WI (spring) and Riverside Inn in Cold Spring, MN (fall), offering multiple days of dedicated quilting time with fellow enthusiasts.
• Quilting for Others MQ's main community service project providing kits and patterns for quilters to create quilts and items donated to shelters, hospitals, and other organizations serving those in need.
• Minnesota Quilt Project (MQP) Standing committee dedicated to preserving and documenting Minnesota quilts, conducting Quilt Discovery Days, interviewing quilters, and maintaining the MQ Quilt Collection with records available via The Quilt Index.
• MQ News Newsletter Monthly newsletter published 12 times per year, distributed to over 900 members, featuring quilting news, member stories, patterns, and organizational updates. Available in PDF format via email and online.
• Grant Program Educational grants ($50-$500), service project grants ($100-$500), and donations ($100-$2,000) available to individuals and organizations promoting quilting education and community service.
• Guilds Directory Comprehensive listing of quilt guilds and groups throughout Minnesota and surrounding areas, providing contact information, meeting schedules, dues, and locations to help quilters find local communities.
• Business Membership Business membership category offering benefits to quilt-related businesses including listing on the MQ Business Members page, with approximately 35+ member businesses listed.
• GlueUp Member Portal Online membership management platform enabling members to join, renew membership, update contact information, change passwords, and access the member directory.
• MQ Quilt Collection Treasury of nearly 30 quilts created by MQ members since the organization's founding in 1978, maintained and documented by the Minnesota Quilt Project with records available in The Quilt Index.
• Minnesota State Quilt Book Published book 'Minnesota Quilts, Creating Connections to Our Past' featuring exceptional quilts, fascinating quilters, and their stories spanning from pioneer days to the 1970s, with documentation collected during Quilt Discovery Days.
• Individual Membership Annual membership tier providing individuals with access to meetings, workshops, retreats, the annual quilt show, MQ News newsletter, member directory, grants, and Quilting for Others service opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 6,000 quilts documented and made searchable via The Quilt Index at Michigan State University
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Quilt Index (Michigan State University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMQ participates in The Quilt Index, an international research and reference tool hosted at Michigan State University. MQ's Minnesota Quilt Project documentation (over 6,000 quilts) is made available through this database. Quilters' oral histories are also posted to The Quilt Index.
• Textilis Conservation, LLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTextilis Conservation, LLC provided quilt storage guidance and a printable handout for MQ. Jennifer L. Cruise at Textilis Conservation authored the quilt storage best practices information published on the MQ website.
• American Quilt Study Group (AQSG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMQ is a group member of AQSG, founded in 1980 and one of the oldest and largest member organizations dedicated to quilt-related studies. Copies of AQSG's annual 'Uncoverings' research volumes are housed in the Textile Center Library reference section. AQSG quilt-related videos are shared with MQ members.
• Textile Center LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Textile Center Library in Minnesota houses the reference section collection of AQSG's annual 'Uncoverings' volumes on quilt-related research, accessible to MQ members.
• Tubman Shelter for WomenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMQ's Quilting for Others program donates twin quilts to Tubman Shelter for women in need.
• Vinland Residential Center for MenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMQ's Quilting for Others program donates twin quilts to Vinland Residential Center for men in residential care.
• Minnesota Visiting Nurses AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMQ's Quilting for Others program donates baby quilts and kids quilts to the Minnesota Visiting Nurses Association for distribution to families.
• Hennepin County Medical Center Hospice ProgramminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMQ's Quilting for Others program donates quilts of any size to the Hennepin County Medical Center Hospice program.
• Catholic CharitiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMQ's Quilting for Others program donates Christmas stockings to Catholic Charities for children in shelters.
• Hobbs Batting CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHobbs Batting Company supports MQ's Quilting for Others program through its charitable organization donation program, providing batting for the quilts made for donation. MQ has an ongoing need for Hobbs UPC labels as well as cash donations.
• Recovery ChurchminorOthersMQ's office is housed within Recovery Church at 253 State Street, St. Paul. Monthly in-person membership meetings are held at Recovery Church.
• Camp WapogassetminorOthersCamp Wapogasset in Amery, WI hosts MQ's spring getaways for quilting retreats.
• Riverside InnminorOthersRiverside Inn in Cold Spring, MN hosts MQ's fall getaways for quilting retreats.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Quilt Festival / Quilts, Inc. Long-standing commercial producer of major quilting events, including the International Quilt Festival in Houston; operates at much larger commercial scale but in the same annual-quilt-show category as Minnesota Quilters.
• National Quilt Museum: Established heritage institution in Paducah, KY dedicated to quilting art and preservation; operates as a broader portfolio institution (museum + exhibits + education) that overlaps with MQ's heritage-preservation mission via the Minnesota Quilt Project.

Direct peers

• American Quilters Society: National nonprofit membership organization founded in 1983 that supports quilters through shows (AQS QuiltWeek events), education, and a museum — the closest large-scale analog to Minnesota Quilters' membership-and-show model.
• Modern Quilt Guild: Membership-based national quilting organization founded in 2010 with regional chapters and shows, mirroring MQ's community-led, chapter-driven growth model and quilting education mission.

Others

• American Quilt Study Group: Scholarly organization founded in 1980 dedicated to quilt history research; an existing MQ group-member partner with overlapping research and oral-history goals through the Uncoverings publication series.
• Hobbs Bonded Fibers: Manufacturer of quilt batting and a longstanding partner that supplies materials to MQ's Quilting for Others charitable program; an upstream supplier whose commercial fortunes are tied to MQ and the broader quilting community.
• BERNINA USA: U.S. arm of Swiss sewing-machine manufacturer BERNINA, currently a Diamond sponsor of the Minnesota Quilt Show; an aligned commercial stakeholder whose marketing dollars depend on active quilting communities like MQ.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MinnesotaQuiltersInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minnesota-quilters-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Minnesota Quilters Inc