How People-First Leadership Actually Works in Nonprofits with Charlie Imbergamo

What does it really take to move from trusted insider to CEO while keeping your board focused on strategy instead of “sausage-making”? In this episode of the I 501(c)You podcast for nonprofit board members, Michael sits down with Charlie Imbergamo, CEO of the Nonprofit Leadership Center, to unpack his journey from faith-based education leader to head of a regional hub for nonprofit talent development. Charlie shares how he navigated a rigorous internal succession process, leads with a “people first, mission always” mindset, and keeps both his board and small staff aligned around the what of strategy instead of getting lost in the how. You’ll hear practical rhythms for board communication, how pre-reads transformed their meetings, why they only meet when decisions are needed, and how tools like Asana and virtual training help them serve 700+ nonprofits a year.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introducing Charlie Imbergamo, CEO of Nonprofit Leadership Center

(05:45) Living what we teach

(08:40) Approaching transitioning from staff to CEO

(12:15) Charlie’s approach to strategy

(15:15) Keeping your organization focused on the ‘what’

(18:50) Creating an engaged board

(23:00) Approach to board meetings

(26:30) Communicating with staff

(30:00) What is the Nonprofit Leadership Center?

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