Karol A. Mason is a nonprofit strategist with 20+ years of progressive leadership and expertise in grant writing, corporate/foundation relations, major gifts, public relations, special events, and strategic communications for healthcare, social services, arts/culture, and educational organizations. Karol holds a M.Div. with a concentration in Black Church Studies from United Lutheran Seminary, a M.S. in Fundraising and Grantmaking from New York University, a M.A. in Mass Communications from Towson University, and a B.S. from Morgan State University in Telecommunications. She is the President/CEO of A Word to the Wise, LLC providing strategic fundraising and communication services to nonprofits including the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (Phila/DE Valley Chapter), Baltimore Tree Trust, Blues Babe Foundation, Paul Quinn College, and The African American Museum in Philadelphia. Karol has served as the Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Director of Hospitality at United Lutheran Seminary (Philadelphia Campus), Grant Writer for the National Adoption Center/Adoption Center of Delaware Valley, and the Chief Speech Writer for CEOs of the Baltimore City Public School System. Beginning in October 2020, she served as the Grant Writing Consultant for the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, now called the Black Doctors Consortium and was promoted to serve as the Director of Development in March 2021. Most recently Karol secured its $4million annual operating budget before the close of the first quarter of 2022.
Karol Mason is bi-vocational, serving as one of the founding pastors and board members of the Restorative Beacon Collective (#RBC). #RBC is an online ministry dedicated to creating a space where all are welcomed and can encounter the Divine in relationship to their authentic selves. She was licensed on March 24, 2019 at the Grace Baptist Church of Germantown (Phila., PA), serving as an Associate Minister.
She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Karol is proud daughter of Edward and (the late) Sheila Mason and a proud Baltimorean! Crediting her parents with providing wise counsel, she enjoys cooking, attending the theatre, word games, and spending time with loved ones.
