This day of professional development including a keynote presentation, breakouts, and networking is dedicated to current topics in the field of early childhood education. Topics presented are relevant for individuals, partners, and teams.

Beyond New Teacher Academy is designed to support teachers in years 2, 3, and beyond! The sessions will be structured around standards, procedures, and fostering collaboration with other regional teachers. There will be four professional development days at Sourcewell and three individual coaching days in their classroom. Content will be presented, collaboratively discussed and applied to lesson planning for use in their classrooms. Attendees will have the opportunity to take Catalyst Whole Group Classroom Leadership Day 1 and attend Catalyst Live.

This cohort is for districts who are participating in the Career Consultant program. District identified career committees will attend to engage in professional learning, collaboration, and program planning. Development of career pathways is based on the nationally recognized Redefining Ready metrics and professional learning will include outside expertise and exemplars to guide district teams in design. Cohort sessions may take place at Sourcewell or another location dependent on content of the session.

Join a dynamic community of forward-thinking educators committed to transforming student learning. Discover innovative teaching practices from our region, explore how they can be adopted to any grade level or subject, and connect with local teachers to exchange ideas, strategies, and inspiration. Together, we can elevate engagement and enrich the classroom experience for all students.

Topics include:

• Sharing innovative ideas


• Inquiry-based learning


• Creative problem solving through design thinking


• Experiential learning from the natural world


• Independent research projects


• Technology supporting innovation


• Sharing in success and iterations towards success when trying something new

The New Teacher Academy is designed to increase confidence and capacity in novice educators by combining relevant training with growth-focused coaching support. Support throughout the year includes five full-day trainings at Sourcewell, four individual in-classroom coaching sessions, Catalyst Whole Group Leadership, and Catalyst Live.

The New Teacher Academy is designed to increase confidence and capacity in novice educators by combining relevant training with growth-focused coaching support. Support throughout the year includes five full-day trainings at Chase on the Lake, five individual in-classroom coaching sessions, Catalyst Whole Group Leadership, and Catalyst Live.

The Minnesota Service Cooperatives have collaborated to bring you a virtual, asynchronous option to meeting your Cultural Competency licensure requirement. This course provides video learning, personal reflection time, an opportunity to hear from educators in the field, and many additional resources to explore as you continue your journey to be an even more culturally competent educator.

This event is offered in partnership with the Initiative Foundation.

Are you ready to strengthen your nonprofit’s fundraising game? Whether you’re new to fundraising or looking to refine your approach, in this interactive workshop Janet Cobb will guide you through the essential building blocks of a strong, sustainable development strategy.

What You’ll Learn:

• Put Your Policies and Processes in Place—Set the foundation for ethical, effective fundraising.


• Craft a Strong Case for Support—Inspire donors with a compelling story and clear impact.


• Get It on Your Calendar—Plan and prioritize your fundraising activities for success.


• Know Your Numbers—Gain confidence in your financials and fundraising metrics.


• Get Your Board on Board—Engage your board as fundraising champions.

Key Takeaways:

• Fundraising Policies & Processes Checklist—A ready-to-use framework to ensure your nonprofit’s fundraising is ethical, legal, and effective.


• Case for Support Template—A structured document to help you craft a compelling, donor-focused case for funding.


• Fundraising Action Plan & Calendar—A customizable template to help you plan, track, and execute your fundraising activities with clarity and confidence.

This hands-on session is designed for nonprofit leaders, development professionals, and board members who want to build confidence, clarity, and consistency in fundraising.

Take the next step toward sustainable growth and lasting impact!

Sourcewell strives to bring the highest-quality resources, information, and training opportunities to our members. We’re honored to team up with the Initiative Foundation to bring this opportunity to our central Minnesota region.   

This event is offered in partnership with the Initiative Foundation.

Fundraising events are more than just a means to bring in immediate dollars—they are key moments to cultivate individual donors, engage corporate partners, and build long-term financial sustainability. Too often, nonprofits see events as an isolated fundraiser, missing opportunities to maximize revenue, deepen donor relationships, and secure lasting corporate sponsorships.

This six-hour interactive workshop, led by Janet Cobb, a seasoned nonprofit strategist and fundraising coach, will show you how to make your events work smarter—creating profit while serving as a catalyst for ongoing donor and corporate engagement.

Key Takeaways

• Designing Events That Drive Revenue and Relationships:
  
  
  
  • Develop events that balance profitability with donor cultivation, ensuring that ticket buyers and attendees stay engaged beyond the event.
  
  
  • Learn budgeting and planning strategies to maximize your net revenue while creating an experience that strengthens donor and sponsor connections.
  
  
  
  


• Corporate Partnerships That Extend Beyond the Event: 
  
  
  
  • Learn how to position your nonprofit as a valuable partner that corporations want to invest in—not just for a one-time sponsorship, but for long-term collaboration.
  
  
  • Understand what companies seek from nonprofit partnerships and how to craft compelling sponsorship packages that align with corporate goals and community impact.
  
  
  
  


• Using Events to Cultivate Individual Donors for Long-term Support:
  
  
  
  • Move beyond “just an event” by using it as a springboard for deeper donor relationships.
  
  
  • Learn strategies for effective follow-up, donor segmentation, and post-event engagement to convert attendees into long-term supporters, monthly donors and major gift prospects.
  
  
  
  

You will leave the workshop with an ROI calculator, corporate partnership communications templates and an event follow-up calendar template.

Sourcewell strives to bring the highest-quality resources, information, and training opportunities to our members. We’re honored to team up with the Initiative Foundation to bring this opportunity to our central Minnesota region.   

This event is offered in partnership with the Initiative Foundation.
Minnesota’s Give to the Max Day on Nov. 20, 2025, is a prime opportunity to engage donors, inspire giving, and build momentum for a strong year-end finish. But how do you ensure that your nonprofit stands out in a crowded field of organizations vying for attention? And how do you transition Give to the Max Day donors into long-term supporters, rather than just one-time givers?

This 6-hour interactive workshop will equip you with practical strategies to maximize Give to the Max Day results while integrating it into a powerful year-end fundraising plan. Led by Janet Cobb, a seasoned nonprofit strategist and fundraising coach, this session will help you navigate timing, messaging, donor engagement, and revenue planning—so you can turn Give to the Max Day into a launchpad for long-term financial health.

Key Takeaways:

• Crafting a standout Give to the Max Day campaign:
  
  
  
  • Learn what motivates donors on giving days and how to craft compelling messaging that inspires action.
  
  
  • Master the art of donor segmentation—tailoring asks to new, recurring and major gift prospects.
  
  
  • Get tools to amplify your reach through peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate matches, and social media strategies.
  
  
  
  


• Bridging the Gap Between Giving Day and Year-End Fundraising:
  
  
  
  • Develop a seamless follow-up and stewardship plan to turn one-time donors into ongoing supporters.
  
  
  • Understand the psychology of year-end giving and how to use momentum from Give to the Max Day to maximize holiday giving.
  
  
  • Learn how to align Giving Day efforts with your larger fundraising goals and integrate it into your year-round donor engagement strategy.
  
  
  
  


• Managing the Financial Ebbs & Flows of Year-End Fundraising:
  
  
  
  • Address the challenge of calendar-year donations vs. budget-year planning and how to manage fluctuating revenue.
  
  
  • Explore tools for cash flow management, reserve planning, and donor retention to create a more sustainable funding model.
  
  
  • Learn how to use year-end giving data to refine your fundraising approach for the coming year.
  
  
  
  

You’ll leave the workshop with templates for communicating effectively leading up to Give to the Max Day and through year-end, and a plan for creating a sustainable funding model.

Sourcewell strives to bring the highest-quality resources, information, and training opportunities to our members. We’re honored to team up with the Initiative Foundation to bring this opportunity to our central Minnesota region. 

This on-demand course will define formative assessment and explore the benefits of utilization. Participants will learn about various formative assessment techniques for both virtual and in-person learning, and will leave the session ready to implement and achieve some formative assessment quick wins.

Using formative assessments regularly and consistently can give both educators and learners an even clearer picture around what learners know. Formative assessments also provide educators with a guide to developing learning experiences and lesson planning that can meet the needs of all learners. By using formative assessments with purpose, educators can maximize student learning and increase the effectiveness of their lesson design and delivery.

This course is designed to equip new paraprofessionals with essential skills and knowledge for effective work in educational settings. Participants will explore foundational topics, including an Introduction to Special Education, which covers 13 disability categories, and the impact of implicit bias in the classroom. The course also emphasizes the importance of leading in the classroom and understanding the paraprofessional role. Additionally, learners will gain insights into how the brain responds to stress and the concept that behavior is communication. This comprehensive approach ensures that paraprofessionals are well-prepared to support diverse learners effectively.

This webinar will identify elements of differentiation and explore differentiation strategies such as questioning, grouping, and choice. Use these strategies to meet both support and challenge needs of your diverse students.

Led by a mental health professional and educator, this webinar will cover key facts about children's mental health, early warning signs of mental health disorders, and signs and symptoms of childhood suicide. Discussion will include strategies for how to respond and how to access help for students.

This training focuses on why and how our body and brain respond to stress/crisis and how that affects our work, wellness, and interactions. Explore Social-Emotional Learning strategies to recognize dysregulation in yourself and others, as well as strategies to regain and retain regulation. These strategies apply to interactions with students, colleagues, and caregivers.

Multilingual learners in our classrooms are a huge asset. Not every educator may feel confident in how to best support and include these students. This webinar offers insights to support educators in creating optimal learning environments and instructional strategies for each learner.

Explore components of effective reading instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and motivation and engagement. Within each component, participants will learn what it is, why we teach it, and how we teach it.

Language is ever evolving and changing. Sometimes knowing which terms or descriptions to use can be difficult and sometimes we don’t even know we are using outdated or harmful language. This webinar is focused on promoting positive language around topics such as race, gender, and common school-based labels and language.

The Special Education New Teacher Academy is designed to increase confidence and capacity in novice educators by combining relevant training with growth-focused coaching support. These sessions will have collaborative interaction the morning with general educations participants and have specific special education content in the afternoon. Support throughout the year includes six full-day trainings at Sourcewell, four individual in-classroom coaching sessions, Catalyst Whole Group Leadership, and Catalyst Live.