Yesterday's Wall Street Journal featured a special section on philanthropy with a series of great articles that highlight trends in the field and suggest changes to ensure that philanthropic giving grows ever more effective.

One article, "Is It Public, or Is It Private?" discusses the growing trend toward public-private partnerships between private philanthropists and government. The reason? "Both sides stand to gain: Donors leverage their dollars, and the government gets additional capital, plus the expertise and credibility that high-profile philanthropists often bestow on the causes they support."

Root Cause CEO Andrew Wolk is quoted discussing the enormity of government dollars, "Government resources dwarf the funds spent by the nation's largest foundations and individual donors, who contribute $16.5 billion and $163.5 billion peryear, respectively. The federal government alone spends more than $1 trillion per year on social services."

The article highlights another advantage of these partnerships, "the past couple years saw two other developments: a severe recession causing budget contraints at the local, state and federal levels and, as a result, even greater willingness to team with nonprofits and philanthropy to address major social problems." It goes on to highlight government initiatives, including Mitch Landrieu's Office of Social Entrepreneurship in Louisiana, President Obama's White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, and others.

Read the full article here.