Comments about ‘Financing good will: How charities are innovating to survive’

Very interesting article. I liked hearing about innovative ways to keep charitable organizations going. I haven't thought much about generating revenue in these organizations before but I like the idea. I think it is a clever idea to make these non-profits more sustainable.

Another really great example of a truly innovative non-profit in this State is Shriner's Hospital. They have found ways to draw upon patient insurance coverage for cost of care while still maintaining their focus on never charging a patient for services. I am concerned about why there is such a huge difference in the decline of non-profits nationally in comparison to Utah? Is Utah just seeing a lagging trend like we do in many other areas? If the difference between the national and state number isn't due to lag, then it might mean Utah non-profits are receiving less funding than their national counterparts. Why would that be? There is also the issue of organizations who have tried charging for services at their own detriment (Example: the red cross decision to charge Servicemen for coffee and doughnuts during WWII has perpetuated a myth that the organization hasn't been able to shake for over 60 years now, that it charges people in need for the services that they receive.)