• Meet Sourcewell

Welcome

Thank you for joining us on our rebranding journey!

We’ve learned a lot about our members, our vendors, and ourselves along the way.

Although change is sometimes difficult, we have to pursue improvements to keep up with an ever-changing world. We do recognize changing our name does cause extra work for our vendors, however we are confident the short-term effort will pay off for several years. We have dedicated this website to you, our vendor partner, in an effort to make the transition as easy as possible.

This website will be dynamic and frequently updated as we move toward our full brand launch June 6, 2018. So, bookmark this site and visit regularly.

New website coming in June!
sourcewell-mn.gov

About Us

Sourcewell is more than a name change–it’s branding evolution. At the heart of Sourcewell is service, and our intent is to proudly proclaim who we are and what we do. By establishing memorable differentiators, we will stand out in the marketplace, and ultimately make it easier for our members to find you and your solutions.

50000

Members

34800

Kids impacted daily

18600000

Projected to give back regionally and nationally

Click on the milestone markers below to see how our organization has evolved over 40 years.

1978

We were established by the Minnesota legislature as an Education Cooperative Service Unit for Region 5 in 1978. The mission of ECSU-5 is to serve students, teachers, school districts, and administrators.

1995

ECSU-5 becomes North Central Service Cooperative (NCSC). In 1995, the Minnesota Legislature authorized ECSUs to serve cities and counties too, so the organizational name was updated to reflect this change.

2004

NCSC becomes National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA). In the early 2000s, cooperative purchasing and our relationships with vendors really took off. We started gaining a national audience, so the organizational name changed once again to reflect our larger service area.

2018

National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) will formally be known as Sourcewell starting June 6, 2018. Our new brand strategy underscores our long-standing commitment to our members and to the communities they serve.

Timing

Much like a successful joke, the key ingredient to a successful brand launch is timing! The key date you have to know is June 6, 2018. That is when we will start operating as Sourcewell. We will have to inform strategic partners and VIP members before our official launch, but we’ll let you know who we plan to tell next and when, so keep checking this section.

April 11, 2018

Full-Voting Member Annual Meeting and NJPA Student Recognition Banquet
Formal procedure to incorporate Sourcewell as the new operating name of the organization

Now through the end of June

We are systematically informing all 50,000 members of our new brand.

June 6, 2018

Full National Brand Launch

FAQs

We know you still have questions, so here is where we will answer the most popular ones. Browse through this list of questions and answers, and hopefully you’ll gain even more confidence as we launch Sourcewell. We know we haven’t “nailed it” when it comes to a complete list of FAQs, so if you have a burning question, then just ask us by filling out the Submit a Question form below. If you’re curious, then others probably are too – and your inquiry could trigger the latest addition to this evolving section of this webpage.

Why are you changing your name and why now?

We are boldly renaming NJPA based on information gathered from rebranding research started by Tenet Partners in 2016. National Joint Powers Alliance has been a successful name, but the latest data tells us the name loses its original meaning when reduced to the most common reference as the acronym–NJPA. As industry leaders, we are intentionally rebranding as Sourcewell now to differentiate our organization and vendors from the others relying on name acronyms today.

Will legal documents, such as membership agreements and participating addendums, still be valid after June 6, 2018?

Sourcewell is an operational name, much like National Joint Powers Alliance currently is. Our legal name is not changing, so all documents referencing NJPA or Sourcewell will be valid. Click here for more information.

How will customers who use our contract find out about your new name?

We have developed a communication plan to inform current members about our rebranding/renaming prior to June 6, 2018. We are also hiring a professional marketing firm to help us identify the best avenues for getting our new message to potential/future members.

How do I get logos, tradeshow flags, and other branded materials for use after June 6, 2018?

Keep checking the Marketing section of this website for logo releases and other information regarding trade show/marketing material availability.

What can I expect for support for my sales staff?

We want to answer all your questions! We are creating training materials and would like to help guide your team through a high-level overview of our new brand, and how to leverage Sourcewell with current and future members. Contact your contract administrator for more information. Click here for the most current list of contract administrators and the contracts they handle.

Should we be concerned about the new sourcewell.com website?

Short answer is NO. When we first launch our new brand in June, sourcewell.com will organically outrank our website in searches. Because of our expected traffic, dot gov status, and web equity-we don’t expect it to take more than a few weeks to eventually outrank the dot com site. However, we are planning an ad-words campaign to jump start that process and move sourcewell-mn.gov to the top of Google searches until we start landing there naturally.

What is the URL of the new website?

As a government agency, we are proud to offer our members and vendors a brand new web experience at sourcewell-mn.gov. A dot gov website is rare and offers instant credibility with other government agencies. We expect our new brand and website will make it easier for members to find us, and make it easier for them to find/use our great vendors.

Our brand represents who we are and what we stand for. It embodies the qualities and values that make us unique and our commitment to our members.

Marketing

We’ve dedicated this section to your marketing team. As we release logos, brand guidelines, how-to guides, and promotional materials – they will be downloadable right here. We’ll also raise the curtain a little to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our new name, logo, and colors. Hopefully, you’ll get a better understanding of who we are and our desire to boost community and student success.

We have 2 versions of our awarded contract logo. Please check with our branding guidelines for approved uses. They are not public facing until June 6, 2018. Contact your contract administrator if you have any questions.

Click to download .png files

Click to download .eps files

    

Sourcewell Marketing Brand Guidelines

Sourcewell Brand Reveal Brochure

These are the traits we want vendors and members to experience when working with us.

What sets us apart? These 5 qualities are the difference-makers that make us stand out compared to other organizations in the marketplace.

We are Purpose-Driven

We are a government agency and powered by state statute to serve our public-sector membership. Our employees are passionate about service and committed to helping our members succeed so that they can fulfill their own public service missions. We strategically reinvest in regional programs and national partnerships that benefit our members.

We are Independent

As a self-supporting government agency, we, with oversight from our board of publicly elected officials, are able to develop timely, market-driven solutions for our members. Not beholden to shareholders, we move decisively to serve our members and invest in our business for long-term growth.

We are Leaders

We are a market leader with a track record of innovation and growth across all our services. Our strong buying power and solid reputation help us bring world-class brands, well-regarded programs, and nationally respected experts to our membership. We continue to innovate to deliver the best solutions for our members.

We are Operationally Excellent

We have standardized our processes and technology around best practices. Our highly qualified professionals execute with skill and precision to deliver strong, reliable results.

We are Relationship-Oriented

We view our relationships from a long-term perspective. We offer a comprehensive selection of solutions and excellent customer service to address our members wide-ranging and evolving needs. By regularly interacting with our members, vendors, and partners, we ensure our solutions are practical, easy to use, and forward-looking to perform well over time.

“This is an exciting time for all of us! Thanks for joining us on this journey as we blaze new trails in the cooperative purchasing marketplace, and ultimately foster more community and student success throughout North America.”

Chad Coauette, Executive Director

Contact Us

As always, you should contact your contract administrator if you have any questions.

If you are not sure which administrator handles your contract, then click here to see our current list.

You can also reach out to Sandy Becker via email or phone: (218) 895-4197.

(218) 894-1930

202 12th St NE, Staples, MN 56479

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