Jon Kidwell
Servant Heart. BUSINESS MIND.
Meet Jon
Servant Heart. Business Mind.
Jon has spent most of his career in nonprofit organizations. When he quickly advanced in every position, he first thought it was strictly his hard work and dedication. As he matured, he realized his focus on growing people and driving to grow revenue and performance were quite unique. He quickly realized that taking this business mindset and pairing it with true servant leadership resulted in continued success.
I equip and inspire mission-driven leaders so they can deliver great impact for the mission they’re meant to lead.
– Jon Kidwell
Jon’s Journey
For over 15 years, Jon has served nonprofit organizations as a Board Member, a volunteer, and a part-time or full-time team member. Jon’s focus is on serving people well and increasing the revenue and performance of organizations to maximize their impact for the people they serve.
With a business mind and servant heart, in six years, he grew from an entry-level leader to Vice President of Innovation & Operations, leading 1,100 people in 12 areas of business for a $140MM nonprofit in Houston, TX. During his time there, Jon worked with companies such as Apple, Nike, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Pfizer, the University of Houston, and the YMCA of the USA. He was always centered on furthering the mission in a financially responsible way that scaled for great impact.
It wasn’t all large teams and large organizations, though. Jon served on the Board for three nonprofits, even President of one that had no paid team members, while another operated on a $200,000 annual budget. His career in nonprofits provided loads of experience, which included working with Boards of all types: fiduciary, advisory, and community. His goal was to support them and their Executives to achieve the goals that mattered most for those they served.
Early in his career, Jon found himself struggling to achieve the service and revenue goals of the organization. While he was working hard, nothing seemed to be working. The struggle to lead teams effectively, manage all that needed to be done, have a life, and achieve results was overwhelming. His drive to learn, grow, and serve led him to seek out how to be a better leader. In the process, he learned key areas of the nonprofit to focus on how to effectively lead his team, serve people, and drive success. As a result, he also managed to create better habits for work and life.
Development of the ‘5 Drivers’
“I started reading every book about high-performing businesses and leaders I could get my hands on. I figured if it worked in a business, it could work in a nonprofit.” Jon’s findings led him to prioritize the mission and people in the organization. From there, it was about focusing on the other aspects that produced great returns for the mission – the plan, the service, and the revenue. Jon now teaches his signature course ‘5 Drivers of High-Performing Nonprofits‘ to nonprofit leaders looking to achieve a greater impact.
Additionally, he is an adjunct professor in the Organizational Leadership program for the Townsend Institute at Concordia University Irvine. Jon lives with his wife, Meghan, and two children in Houston, TX. He enjoys crazy socks, running first thing in the morning, and eating ice cream or Tex-Mex every chance he gets.