Katherine “Kathy” Sarlson brings more than 35 years of experience in fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational capacity building to her work as a consultant with Evolve. She partners with organizations to strengthen their long-term sustainability through strategic approaches to planned and major gifts, endowment development, and annual campaign planning. Known for her steady guidance, strong listening, and ability to make complex planned giving concepts approachable, Kathy equips leaders and teams with the confidence and tools to protect and advance their missions for the long term.

Before joining Evolve, Kathy served as National Director of Life and Legacy at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, leading efforts to help communities across North America build endowments through legacy giving. A nationally recognized expert in planned giving, she previously served as Associate Vice President of Planned Giving at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, where she grew planned giving from $10 million to $35 million in just six years. Kathy has also held senior leadership roles with Federation Housing, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

Kathy holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Harvard Divinity School, and Stanford Graduate School of Business, and is a 21/64 Certified Advisor. She volunteers as board member and fundraising chair at Ohev Shalom, supports Women of Vision at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and provides fundraising guidance to Be a Part of the Conversation. Committed to equity and inclusion, she believes diverse perspectives strengthen communities and institutions, and previously led departmental DEI education efforts after the murder of George Floyd.