Minnesota Community Education Association

What Minnesota Community Education Association does

Minnesota Community Education Association (MCEA) is a nonprofit professional membership association founded in the 1970s and headquartered in Lindstrom, Minnesota, serving community education practitioners across the state. The organization's primary constituents are educators, directors, coordinators, and staff working in Minnesota school district community education programs spanning early childhood education, school age care, youth enrichment, adult basic education, and senior programs. Membership grants access to the MCEA HUB member portal (hosted on the Tradewing platform), the bi-weekly Connection newsletter (reaching more than 2,400 community education professionals), CEU-bearing professional development sessions, the job posting board, and state-level legislative advocacy via the RALLI Committee.

The organization's product surface is event- and content-driven rather than software-defined. Signature offerings include the three-day Annual Fall Conference at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, the LEAD Summit in St. Cloud, the School Age Care Virtual Conference, the Community Ed Data Series delivered in partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools, and the Alumni Golf Scramble fundraiser. Supporting resources include a Finance Manual, Advisory Council materials, a Community Education Program Locator, awards and scholarship programs, and a career opportunities platform. Wufoo handles workshop and conference registration; the website is mn-mcea.org.

MCEA's revenue model is a hybrid of recurring membership dues (subscription), transaction fees from job postings ($50 per member posting, up to four weeks), conference and event registration (with early-bird pricing), professional development session fees ($24 per Data Series session), and fundraising events (Golf Scramble at $75 standard, $59 first-time participant, $20 lunch only). Executive Director Matt Dickhausen leads the organization, governed by a Board of Directors with regional representatives and an active committee structure spanning Alumni, Equity, Finance, Leadership, Marketing & Communications, Professional Development and Member Services (PDMS), RALLI (Legislative), and School Age Care. MCEA operates as a private nonprofit with no parent company, funding rounds, or institutional investment disclosed.

Name

Minnesota Community Education Association

Legal name

Minnesota Community Education Association

Website

https://mn-mcea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Minnesota Community Education Association is a nonprofit professional membership association serving more than 2,400 community education practitioners across Minnesota's school districts, delivering advocacy, CEU-bearing professional development, signature conferences, and job board services since the 1970s.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Education Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community & Adult Education (Municipal/Community Schools) (EDAAAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships (EDALAOAI), Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Community education programs
• Professional development training
• Education advocacy services
• Membership association services
• Education conference events

Headquarters

HQ city

Lindstrom

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees provide access to the MCEA HUB portal, professional development resources, job posting capabilities, and The Connection newsletter reaching over 2,400 community education professionals.
2. Job Posting Fees: Job postings are a revenue stream with members paying $50 per posting (posted for up to four weeks) and non-members at different pricing.
3. Conference and Event Registration: Annual Fall Conference, LEAD Summit, and other professional development events generate registration revenue. The 2026 Fall Conference includes sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities.
4. Professional Development Sessions: Data Series sessions priced at $24 per session, offering CEUs for attendees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Minnesota Community Education Association (MCEA) is a nonprofit professional membership association that delivers advocacy, professional development, networking, and career resources to community education practitioners across Minnesota. Core sellable offerings include annual membership with access to the MCEA HUB portal, the Annual Fall Conference, the LEAD Summit, the Community Ed Data Series professional development sessions, a statewide job board, and a community education program locator. The association also operates legislative advocacy through its RALLI Committee and provides consultant/program review services to districts.

Product overview

The Minnesota Community Education Association (MCEA) is a professional association serving community education programs across Minnesota. Rather than a software platform, MCEA provides a portfolio of programs and services including: early childhood programs (preschool, childcare), school age care (Kids Club, before/after school), adult basic education, youth enrichment, and senior programs. Signature offerings include the Annual Fall Conference, LEAD Summit, and Community Ed Data Series professional development sessions. The organization also operates a career opportunities platform and provides legislative advocacy for community education funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wapicada Golf CourseminorOthers · 14 July 2026Wapicada Golf Course in Sauk Rapids, MN serves as the venue for the annual MCEA Alumni Golf Scramble, a fundraising event supporting scholarships for future community education leaders.
• White Bear Lake School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhite Bear Lake School District partnered with multiple local agencies to provide the More Than a Meal program, delivering over 26,000 meals to senior citizens and supporting community education outreach initiatives.
• North and Tartan High School StudentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents from North and Tartan High Schools and District 622 Community Education partnered to host the Golden Prom, an annual intergenerational community event for senior citizens featuring dinner, live music, dancing, and social interaction.
• Local Service OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Education departments partner with local service organizations to provide Fee Assistance programs that help families on free and reduced lunch access programs at reduced costs.
• Minneapolis Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCEA partners with Minneapolis Public Schools to deliver the Community Ed Data Series professional development sessions, with facilitators from MPS delivering programming to community education professionals across Minnesota.
• Orono Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrono Public Schools operates Discovery Kids Childcare as a NAEYC-accredited, 4-star Parent Aware program within the district's community education offerings, exemplifying quality early childhood education standards.
• AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCEA connects school districts with AmeriCorps Promise Fellows who provide direct support for 6th-12th grade students in attendance, engagement, and academic performance areas.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Learning Forward: National professional association for educator professional development. Direct overlap with MCEA's professional development, CEU programs, and Data Series.
• AASA (School Superintendents Association): National association for school superintendents. Comparable large-scale education professional association with events, advocacy, and member services, focused on district leadership.
• Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE): National association for CTE educators and administrators. Comparable professional association model serving K-12 education practitioners with events, advocacy, and PD.
• National Afterschool Association (NAA): National professional membership association for afterschool and out-of-school time practitioners. Overlaps with MCEA's School Age Care programs and Kids Club / SACC practitioners.
• National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP): National association for elementary and middle-level principals. Comparable membership-based education professional association with conferences, advocacy, and member benefits.

Emerging players

• Coalition for Community Schools: National coalition advancing the community schools model. Conceptually aligned with MCEA's community education mission, focused on integrated wraparound services in schools.

Direct peers

• National Community Education Association (NCEA): National membership association for community education professionals. Direct peer to MCEA — same practitioner audience, same community education focus, but operating at the national level rather than Minnesota-specific.

Regional players

• Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children (MnAEYC): Minnesota-focused early childhood education professional association. Adjacent peer that competes for some of the same early childhood / preschool community education professionals MCEA serves.
• Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA): Statewide association serving Minnesota school board members and district leadership. Adjacent peer sharing the same Minnesota K-12 community and overlapping advocacy interests.
• Minnesota Education Association (MEA): Minnesota statewide educators association. Adjacent peer serving the same Minnesota K-12 community with overlapping advocacy and professional development positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mnmcea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minnesota-community-education-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Community Education Association