John Bidwell

John has served in nonprofit leadership since 2012, though his roots in service-oriented work go back decades when he was taught to "leave the world better than you find it."

Prior to joining Way Finders in 2023, John served as Executive Director of United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region, which supported 44 nonprofits, and where he led an expansion of services during the pandemic and led a merger of two regional United Ways. Before that, he was the director of marketing and digital strategy at Baystate Health where he led an increase in patient numbers, brand recognition, and new digital initiatives, including the website. For twelve years, John consulted with nonprofits as the founder & president of the branding and marketing company, Bidwell ID, winning dozens of industry awards. He has worked on numerous boards and committees for nonprofits and the City of Northampton. 

John is co-author and editor--respectively--of the critically acclaimed books From Holocaust to Hope and Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali. He helped start the Irene Butter Fund for Holocaust and Human Rights Education and proceeds from the midwife book paid for the building and support of a maternal and child health clinic in Mali.

John served in the Peace Corps as a water resource manager in West Africa and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, which he returned in protest when the Scouts openly excluded gay members. He is a graduate of McGill University and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).