The success experienced by the City Cares of America network to make volunteerism easier, more attractive and fun for busy urban professionals has sparked a national debate on whether such efforts help or hurt the community in the long term, the Los Angeles Times reports.

City Cares of America and such member groups as New York Cares, the LA Works group and Community Impact of Palo Alto, Calif. have used a variety of marketing efforts to attract people who normally might not volunteer their time, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The organizations do this by screening charities that need volunteer help on the basis of whether these groups offer "user friendly" activities to draw volunteers. Many of the charities deal with children, animals and/or one-time or short-term activities, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The New York group, for example, uses computer tracking to find which volunteers are drawn to which causes, and how frequently they help out. The chapter then uses this information to let the volunteers know about related activities, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Critics say such "volunteer lite" efforts hurt the community in the long term by addressing symptoms of larger problems instead of permanent solutions. Volunteers also may believe their contributions are more significant and long-lasting than they really are, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Defenders say such efforts can only help as people who normally wouldn't volunteer are exposed to humanitarian causes consider making longer-term commitments, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The debate boils down to the question of whether short-term or one-time efforts are better than no effort at all, the Los Angeles Times reports.

City Cares was formed in 1992 to serve as the national umbrella organization for local groups. The network currently has 22 current affiliates.

Full text of the article is currently found at:
http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/
NATION/t000119482.1.html
Note: This story has been moved to the Los Angeles Times archive section. There will be a charge to view the full story.