Steve Case, a co-founder of AOL, has a stirring piece in the Manager’s Journal of the Wall Street Journal about the trend of non-profits establishing a related for-profit business that supports their community service. (He’s for it.)

I think there’s two valuable lessons here. One is that people who see a need in the community can apply innovation and find many more ways to get that need met. And the second is Steve’s point that having a meaningful purpose that contributes to society is the important first step to creating an organization that will thrive.

WSJ.com – Purpose and Profit Go Together (paid subscription required)

I’m trying to promote a new paradigm for giving back to the community. Too many people still act as if the private sector and the social sector should operate on different axes, where one is all about making money and the other about serving society. A better approach is to integrate these missions, with businesses that are "not-only-for-profit" and social service groups with their own earned income all contributing to positive, durable, significant social change.

Last month, for example, I launched a company, Revolution, which will help build businesses that empower consumers — especially in health care. Yes, it’s for-profit. But if Revolution builds clinics where a sick child can be seen quickly and affordably on a Sunday, or a health portal where consumers can get reliable information about health-care providers, or tools to manage health-care spending, we think the public good will be served as well.

The real strength of organizations in this "sector-blending" space is that they don’t just balance competing goals — they try to maximize both. …everyone, after all, has a stake in a more hopeful, supportive and just society.