Volunteer Background Checks: How to Screen Volunteers the Right Way

Volunteers are the key to success of many organizations. Effective volunteer screening reduces risk to your organization and the people it serves. If your organization is setting up or reviewing an existing screening policy, you may be wondering if the information you obtain is accurate, too invasive, or compliant with privacy laws.

Not because an information is readily available, it is a necessary part of screening. For example, you would check the driving record of a volunteer who transports senior citizens to medical appointments and get a credit report for a volunteer who manages the organization’s funds. But you could drop either one as a screening tool for someone doing yard work.

Collect the minimum data needed to accomplish the screening. This is efficient and adheres to the Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs), the framework at the core of the Privacy Act of 1974 that is mirrored in many state laws and corporate privacy policies.

Notice and Consent

Notice and consent are basic tenets of protecting privacy and ensuring data quality. Be specific about data you will collect and its purpose. Tell the volunteer precisely what will be collected, how it will be collected, as well as who will do the screening. Tell him/her the sources you will use for the screening, the period of time you will be looking into, how often future screenings will be conducted, consequences of refusing to authorize screening, and rights the volunteer may have.

Make sure that the volunteer can review information and will have a means to appeal or dispute inaccurate information. Assure that information collected from the screening itself will not be used for other purposes and that personal information will be securely stored with access available to only those who have a need to know.

Laws and Regulations

Like tenant screening and employment background checks, volunteer screening is regulated.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) provides rights and responsibilities. For example, the FCRA requires organizations to provide written notification of the background check to the volunteer being screened, and the volunteer must provide written permission for this screening to take place. The FCRA also requires that you take certain steps before and after you take an adverse action based on results of a background check. Additional details are available on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) site.

The FCRA does not preempt more stringent state laws and regulations governing background checks.

Tools and Screening Policy

Available screening tools include: personal and/or employment references, criminal background investigation, fingerprinting, driving records checks, substance abuse tests, physical examinations.

Common tools include accessing the FBI criminal records database as well as state and local criminal records repositories.

Searches using personally identifiable information (PII) employing name, date of birth, and other personal identifiers are the most common methods used in the United States and are as accurate as fingerprint-based searches.

Using a background check company is common, especially if the organization is small, busy, or without the expertise to conduct investigation in-house. They can also provide valuable expertise to help you develop screening policies. Screening is only effective if you also put in place a policy regarding the offenses that will disqualify a volunteer from serving with your organization.

Use consistent procedures in your screening policy. You may choose to screen every volunteer before they start their duties. Or you may choose a tiered risk-based approach.

That said, just make sure to follow the same procedures for all volunteers in the same position with your organization. This reduces risk and it can build trust within the organization.

Volunteer background check FAQ

Do volunteers need background checks?

Federal law does not require it for most organizations, but many states, insurers, grant funders and national youth-serving bodies do, and courts have found organizations negligent for skipping checks on volunteers who had access to children or vulnerable adults. Screen every volunteer whose role gives them unsupervised access to people, money or vehicles.

What should a volunteer background check include?

At minimum a nationwide criminal database search and a sex-offender registry search, with SSN verification and address history so the right records are matched to the right person. Add a driving record for anyone who drives on the organization’s behalf and an employment-purpose credit report for anyone who handles funds.

How much does a volunteer background check cost?

At Background Check Solutions new customers pay $19.95 per person for the employment screening package (nationwide criminal search, sex-offender search, prior address verification and SSN verification) for their first 60 days, then standard per-report pricing. There are no monthly, setup or minimum fees, which suits organizations that screen a few volunteers at a time.

Is a volunteer background check covered by the FCRA?

Yes. When a third-party consumer reporting agency prepares the report, the organization must give the volunteer a clear written disclosure, obtain written authorization, and follow the pre-adverse and adverse action steps before declining someone based on the report, exactly as an employer would.

How often should volunteers be rescreened?

Many organizations rescreen every two to three years and whenever a volunteer moves into a role with more access. Put the interval in your written policy and apply it to everyone in the same role.

Can a Florida nonprofit use VECHS instead?

Florida organizations that serve children, the elderly or the disabled may qualify for FDLE’s fingerprint-based VECHS program. Organizations elsewhere, or those that do not qualify, use a name-based nationwide check from a consumer reporting agency.