August 7, 2003 | Read Time: 1 minute
CityCares, a network of 31 charities that organize short-term volunteer projects, has received a $1.1-million grant from the Omidyar Foundation, a fund in Palo Alto, Calif., created by the founder of the eBay online auction site and his wife. More than $600,000 of the grant will go toward the CityCares National Technology Initiative.
The Atlanta organization has developed a volunteer-management system that allows people to register for community-service projects through the Web site of the CityCares affiliate in their area. Volunteers can search for projects by date and interest area, and receive a project reminder, directions, and other information via e-mail.
The system took more than two years to build, and 12 CityCares affiliates are currently testing it on their Web sites. The next version of the system will recommend service projects and educational events to volunteers based on the projects they have participated in in the past, a feature that the organization compares with Amazon.com’s book-recommendation service.
Megan Ramos, development and marketing manager at CityCares, says the new system will allow her organization to collect and analyze data about volunteer behavior across nonprofit fields and around the country, which she says will make it easier to show how volunteerism benefits a city or town.
“There’s surprisingly little empirical data,” says Ms. Ramos. “There’s a lot more touchy-feely stuff about how the volunteer experience makes you feel good.”
To see the system in use: Go to http://handsonatlanta.org and http://www.handsonmiami.org.
