Where Calling Meets Capacity: How Barnabas and Sacramento Venture Philanthropy Strengthen Nonprofits Together
By Partner Brad Squires, CEO at Sacramento Venture Philanthropy
In every healthy community, there are quiet forces working behind the scenes—people and organizations committed not just to doing good, but to helping others do good better. In the Sacramento region, two such forces are The Barnabas Group and Sacramento Venture Philanthropy (SVP). While distinct in structure and approach, both are deeply aligned in purpose: strengthening nonprofit leaders and organizations so they can more effectively serve our community.
At the intersection of these two organizations is a shared belief that capacity matters. Great missions alone are not enough. Nonprofits need wise counsel, strong leadership, financial sustainability, and trusted relationships to thrive—especially in an increasingly complex and demanding environment.
A Shared Heart for Service
The Barnabas Group (TBG) exists to walk alongside nonprofit leaders through peer advisory groups (ideations), that include coaching and faith-rooted encouragement. Its model is deeply relational. Leaders gather not to be “fixed,” but to be supported—professionally, personally, and spiritually through the collective acumen of Partners. TBG creates a rare space where executives can speak honestly about challenges, wrestle with decisions, and be reminded that they are not alone.
Sacramento Venture Philanthropy approaches capacity building from a different—but complementary—angle. SVP is a community of donors, executives, and civic leaders who invest both financial capital and human capital to strengthen nonprofits. Through programs like Fast Pitch, Think Tanks, Accelerator Grants, and leadership cohorts, SVP focuses on equipping organizations with practical tools, strategic insight, and long-term sustainability.
Where TBG emphasizes accompaniment and discernment, SVP emphasizes leverage and execution. Together, they form two sides of the same coin.
The Power of a Partner-Led Model
One of the most distinctive aspects of Sacramento Venture Philanthropy is its partner-led approach. SVP is not a traditional grantmaker operating behind closed doors. Instead, it is powered by more than 70 local partners—experienced professionals from business, finance, marketing, technology, law, healthcare, and the social sector—who actively engage with nonprofits.
These partners don’t just write checks. They coach nonprofit leaders, serve on capacity-building teams, facilitate workshops, evaluate funding opportunities, and open doors to networks that might otherwise remain inaccessible. The result is leveraged impact: a single dollar invested by SVP is multiplied through time, talent, and expertise.
This model mirrors something The Barnabas Group has long understood—that transformation happens through relationship, not transaction. Both organizations resist the idea that nonprofits simply need more money. Instead, they ask deeper questions:
Do leaders have the support they need to lead well?
Are organizations structurally sound and strategically clear?
Is there a community around the work that will sustain it long-term?
Complementary Lanes, Shared Outcomes
While SVP and TBG operate in different lanes, they often serve the same leaders at different moments of their journey.
A nonprofit executive might find in The Barnabas Group a trusted business-minded circle where they can process calling, burnout, faith, and leadership identity. That same leader might engage with SVP to sharpen their fundraising strategy, clarify their theory of change, strengthen their board, or prepare for growth.
TBG helps leaders and organizations be well.
SVP helps leaders and organizations do well—so they can do more good.
Neither approach is sufficient on its own. A leader who is spiritually grounded but operationally under-resourced will struggle. Likewise, an organization with strong systems but unsupported leadership is vulnerable. Together, Barnabas and SVP create a more holistic ecosystem of support.
Building a Stronger Nonprofit Ecosystem
Both organizations recognize that nonprofit health is not an individual endeavor—it’s an ecosystem challenge. When leaders burn out, when organizations stagnate, when boards disengage, the ripple effects are felt across the community.
SVP’s work is intentionally collaborative. It partners with foundations, corporations, faith-based organizations, and leadership networks—including groups like The Barnabas Group—to ensure efforts are aligned rather than duplicated. The goal is not to “own” impact, but to amplify it. Several TBG Partners and/or ministries have participated in SVP. And the opposite is true as well.
In many ways, SVP acts as a connector: translating the generosity and expertise of the business and philanthropic community into practical capacity for nonprofits. TBG acts as a shepherd: ensuring leaders are seen, known, and supported as whole people. Both roles are essential.
A Shared Vision for the Future
As the challenges facing nonprofits grow more complex—from funding uncertainty to workforce pressures to increasing community needs—the importance of capacity building will only increase. Technical skills, spiritual resilience, strategic clarity, and trusted relationships are no longer “nice to haves.” They are mission-critical.
The collaboration and alignment between organizations like The Barnabas Group and Sacramento Venture Philanthropy offer a hopeful model for what’s possible when we move beyond silos and toward shared purpose.
At their core, both organizations are animated by the same conviction: when we invest in leaders, we strengthen organizations; when we strengthen organizations, we transform communities.
That is leveraged impact.
That is faithful stewardship.
And that is work worth doing—together.
To learn more about Sacramento Venture Philanthropy (SVP), visit www.svpsacramento.org.
About The Author: Brad Squires
Brad is involved in the entrepreneurial business community having spent first 20 years of career developing and managing enterprise tech / SaaS startups. He is also passionate about local community efforts and helped to launch the Orangevale-Fair Oaks Food Bank in 2012 with a group of local volunteer leaders. That organization continues to serve over 3,000 people each month and has also developed a one-acre organic vegetable farm next door to the food bank, which provides healthy food for neighbors in need, as well as volunteer opportunities.
Currently, Brad is the Executive Director for Sacramento Venture Philanthropy, a nonprofit organization seeking to build communities of generosity and impact in the Sacramento capital region. Brad serves on a number of nonprofit boards in the region and recently realized his passion for organizing a more connected and collaborative social impact ecosystem in the Sacramento region.