The 2 ski huts I frequent, the Ostrander Hut in Yosemite NP and the Pear Lake Hut in Sequoia NP are both run by volunteer organisations. They, like the Sierra Club huts, are finding that the $20/night fee charged is no longer enough to cover maintenance, repair, scheduling and the caretaker necessary to make sure the building is in decent shape, and that they cannot raise enough capital through donations to subsidize the huts. The only large network of huts in the US (10th mountain) is $28 a night. That's more than what you people want to spend, and there's only so long you can run something at a loss.
While people here seem to be opposed, the "European" model of hut providing sleeping and profitable food & booze is probably more sustainable. At least it's looking that way in the Columbia's of Canada. And showers are a heck of alot more civilized
You may find this story of the friends hut interesting:
http://www.wildsnow.com/articles/lous_backcountry/9-2/friends-hut.html