Massachusetts School Counselors Association

What Massachusetts School Counselors Association does

The Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) is a nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1961 and headquartered in Hampden, Massachusetts, serving school counselors, school adjustment counselors, school social workers, and counseling directors across the Commonwealth. The organization also engages graduate students, retired counselors, counselor educators, and college admission colleagues through affiliated segments. MASCA operates as the primary state-level voice for the school counseling profession, offering professional development, advocacy, networking, and curriculum resources.

MASCA's core offerings include the proprietary MA Model 3.0 Comprehensive School Counseling Program (with lesson plans, MARC/Jr. curriculum, and SEL resources), the annual spring conference, the School Counselor Summer Camp (SC2) at Bridgewater State University, the Leadership Development Institute co-hosted with Rhode Island colleagues, an award-winning mentoring program, in-district and virtual training, monthly newsletter (The Counselor's Notebook), and recognition programs (Counselor of the Year, OSCARS, Pillars). Membership is managed through the Wild Apricot platform. Member benefits include reduced event pricing, PDPs/CEs, member-only content, ethics consultation, and access to 11 regional affiliates and Special Interest Groups (IDEA, Emerging Leaders, Mentoring, Retirees).

MASCA's revenue model is a blend of low-friction annual subscriptions ($55/year professional, $15/year retired, free for graduate and undergraduate students), event and summer camp registration fees, in-district/virtual training, district group memberships, and sponsorships from newsletter, website, and event advertisers. The organization is governed by an elected board and led by Executive Director Bob Bardwell; it is not venture-backed and has no parent company. Distribution is regional to Massachusetts, with limited cross-state activity via the Rhode Island LDI partnership.

Name

Massachusetts School Counselors Association

Legal name

Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc.

Website

https://masca.wildapricot.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) is a 1961-founded nonprofit professional membership association serving 1,800+ school counselors across Massachusetts with professional development, advocacy, the MA Model curriculum, events, and an 11-affiliate regional network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAKAMAO

Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Mental Health Supports (School-Based)

SECONDARYEDALAHAB

Student Organizations & Club Administration

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Student Activities, Clubs & Campus Life

Keywords

• School counselor professional development
• Education membership association
• School counseling training services
• Educational advocacy association
• Continuing education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hampden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from professional school counselors ($55/year), retired members ($15/year), and free graduate student memberships. These provide recurring revenue and access to member benefits.
2. Professional Development Programs: Revenue from professional development workshops, summer camp registration fees (ranging from $75-$675 depending on membership status and housing), conference registrations, and CE hour fees.
3. Sponsorships: Sponsorship revenue from newsletter ads, website ads, workshop sponsorships, and event sponsorships including the annual spring conference, summer camp, and leadership institute.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MASCA is a nonprofit professional membership association that delivers professional development, advocacy, networking, and curriculum resources to school counselors across Massachusetts. Its core paid offerings include tiered memberships (Professional, Retired, Graduate Student, Undergraduate), the MA Model Comprehensive School Counseling Program framework, an award-winning Mentoring Program, in-district and virtual training, the Annual Spring Conference, the School Counselor Summer Camp (SC2) at Bridgewater State University, and the Leadership Development Institute co-hosted with Rhode Island colleagues.

Product overview

The Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) is a professional membership organization founded in 1961, not a technology product company. MASCA offers a portfolio of member services including the MA Model - a Comprehensive School Counseling Program providing standards and lesson plans, annual professional development events (Annual Conference, Leadership Development Institute, School Counselor Summer Camp), an award-winning Mentoring Program, training services (in-district and virtual), awards programs (Counselor of the Year, OSCARS), Special Interest Groups, advocacy initiatives, and publications including The Counselor's Notebook newsletter. The organization is powered by Wild Apricot membership software and does not offer technology products or APIs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MASCA Annual Membership Annual professional, retired, graduate student, or undergraduate membership in the Massachusetts School Counselors Association, providing access to the MA Model framework, member-only resources, PDPs/CEs, the Counselor's Notebook newsletter, networking, and reduced registration rates on all professional development programs.
• MASCA Annual Conference Annual spring professional conference for Massachusetts school counselors, featuring networking, breakout sessions, and continuing education, with approximately 650 attendees. Co-hosted with NCYI (National Conference on Youth Leadership).

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 PDPs provided to summer camp participants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rhode Island School Counseling ColleaguescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 August 2026MASCA partners with Rhode Island school counseling colleagues to plan and execute the annual Leadership Development Institute, a two-day event combining networking, professional development, planning, food and fun. Day 1 is held in Salem, MA and Day 2 at Merrimack College.
• Bridgewater State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2026Bridgewater State University hosts MASCA's annual School Counselor Summer Camp (SC2), providing facilities including air-conditioned housing, meeting spaces, and dining services for the three-day professional development event.
• Merrimack CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerrimack College serves as the venue for Day 2 of MASCA's Annual Leadership Development Institute, partnering with MASCA and Rhode Island colleagues for the event.
• NCYI (National Conference on Youth Leadership)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNCYI co-hosts the annual spring conference with MASCA. Robert Rabon serves as the NCYI contact for conference coordination.
• Red Sox FoundationminorOthersRed Sox Foundation partners to promote the New England Service Scholarships to Massachusetts high school seniors through MASCA's counselor network.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Broad incumbents

• American School Counselor Association (ASCA): The national professional association for school counselors, offering similar member services, publications, RAMP school program recognition, and annual conference. ASCA is the broader national analog of MASCA and the most direct competitor for member attention and PD dollars.
• National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC): National professional association whose membership overlaps significantly with school counselors handling college admissions. NACAC operates conferences, advocacy, and PD programs targeting a closely adjacent audience to MASCA's.
• American Counseling Association (ACA): The largest national professional association for counselors across all settings (school, clinical, marriage & family). ACA competes for school counselor membership with broader content reach but less K-12 specialization than MASCA.
• National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): National certification body for counselors that influences continuing education credit standards and certification pathways. NBCC's credentialing and CE infrastructure shapes the same PD ecosystem that MASCA serves.

Direct peers

• New York State School Counselor Association (NYSSCA): A fellow state-level school counselor professional association serving New York. NYSSCA mirrors MASCA's structure with membership tiers, regional chapters, annual conferences, and advocacy for the profession, making it a strong structural comparator.
• Connecticut School Counselor Association (CSCA): State-level association for Connecticut school counselors with a similar membership, conference, and professional development model. Geographic proximity and parallel regulatory environment make CSCA a strong peer for benchmarking program offerings.
• Rhode Island School Counselor Association: MASCA's formal cross-state partner for the Leadership Development Institute. A small state-level school counselor association that shares audience characteristics and has overlapping leadership with MASCA, making it a direct operational peer.

Others

• Wild Apricot: MASCA's underlying membership management software provider. While not a peer in mission, Wild Apricot is a critical infrastructure enabler for small-membership associations like MASCA and a comparable operational dependency for many similar state-level associations.

Regional players

• New England School Counselor Association: A regional multi-state professional body for school counselors in New England. Operates at a geographic tier between MASCA and ASCA and could serve as a consolidation partner or competitive threat for cross-state programming.

Emerging players

• Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): A leading organization advancing SEL frameworks in schools. CASEL's research and resources are complementary to MASCA's SEL offerings and represent both a partnership opportunity and a content competitor in the SEL curriculum space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/massachusetts-school-counselors-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Massachusetts School Counselors Association