Quickly and easily screen volunteers and employees with GoodHire’s fast, reliable background checks—while also ensuring your organization stays compliant with the law.
Results You Can Trust
\n \nNonprofits and volunteer organizations are mission-oriented and often serve vulnerable populations. Employee background checks are necessary—and often required—to protect your clients and ensure continued funding. Screening also helps protect assets, mitigate risk, and avoid potential liability lawsuits.
\n\n\n\nQuick & Easy
\n \nYour volunteers and employees are anxious to get to work! GoodHire helps you screen and review background checks quickly—we’ve built the industry’s most comprehensive database, delivering trusted results and fast turnaround times to more than 3,000 non-profit organizations.
\nPeace of Mind
\n \nProtect your reputation, your clients, and your mission. We help you run the right background checks and follow compliance guidelines before you make decisions about who to hire and which volunteers to accept.
\n\n\n\nUser-friendly
\n \nVolunteers and employees are the lifeblood of your organization. GoodHire makes background checks easy, convenient, and non-threatening for your applicants with a screening process that treats them the way you do—with respect.
\n\n\n\n![\"Illustration](\"/static/c1be7f9bf9bf9284b4646a5b62410a8f/Individualized-Assessment.svg\")
Nonprofits may use background checks to make informed decisions when hiring employees or volunteers. Partnering with a background check provider, like GoodHire, to conduct nonprofit background checks can help protect your organization’s reputation, promote a safe work environment, and lessen the risk of lawsuits. Nonprofits must comply with federal, state, and local fair hiring laws to avoid potential legal issues when conducting pre-employment and volunteer background checks. Here’s what you need to know about volunteer background checks as a nonprofit organization.
\n \n \n\nA volunteer background check is the process of gathering information about a candidate for volunteer opportunities to determine their eligibility to join your team. Depending on the type of screening your organization requires, volunteer background checks might involve searching public records and databases, checking motor vehicle records, or contacting an individual’s previous schools or employers.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMany organizations may perform background checks as a part of their volunteer screening process. In some cases, nonprofits use them to assess whether prospective volunteers are safe people to work with vulnerable populations, such as children, seniors, or individuals with disabilities. For example, an elementary, middle school, or high school may require screenings for parents or community members who wish to assist in classrooms, chaperone field trips, or lead clubs and activities.
\n\n\n\nBackground checks can also help organizations feel confident entrusting their finances to volunteers for bookkeeping, accounting, and nonprofit management positions. In addition, background checks allow nonprofits to verify that volunteers have the experience, education, and skills necessary to fulfill specific responsibilities, such as educating others, providing counseling, or delivering medical care.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBackground checks are important for volunteers because they enable nonprofits to better understand the eligibility and qualifications of the individuals looking to join your organization. These screenings can verify individuals’ qualifications and provide additional context about their past experience, while helping your nonprofit select candidates and volunteers who are well prepared to work towards your organization’s mission. Performing a background check for volunteers can also help protect your organization from potential liability claims and reputational risks, safeguard your organization’s assets, and maintain your donors’ trust.
\n\n\n\nNonprofits may choose certain background checks to help mitigate risks associated with their mission or to confirm that candidates are qualified for a role. For example, a nonprofit that works with vulnerable populations might include a criminal records check in its volunteer screening, while a nonprofit hiring for a leadership position might run an education history background check to verify that candidates’ credentials are accurate.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat shows up on a nonprofit background check depends on the type and number of screenings, the scope of each search being performed, and your organization’s background check policy.
\n\n\n\nHere are common results that may show up a background check for nonprofit organizations:
\n\n\n\nSchools often perform background checks on employees and volunteers to protect the students that they serve. State and local laws may even mandate that schools perform certain types of employment and volunteer background checks. For example, Pennsylvania requires all prospective school employees to undergo a state police background check.
\n\n\n\nWhat do school volunteer background checks look for?
\n\n\n\nSchool volunteer background checks are often conducted to ensure the safety of students in elementary, middle school, or high school. Schools may look use these volunteer screenings to determine if a prospective volunteer has a history of criminal convictions related to child abuse and neglect, sexual offenses, or financial crimes or help ensure that volunteers have the credentials necessary to serve as volunteer teaching assistants or in positions that involve transporting students by car, van, or bus.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA background check for church volunteers can enable organizations to make informed decisions about entrusting responsibilities to those that serve your congregations and communities. Churches may choose volunteer background checks based on the position. For example, you may choose to conduct a criminal background check to ensure individuals who will work with vulnerable populations or manage money have no previous criminal convictions that make them ineligible for their positions or an education verification to determine if a prospective volunteer has the credentials needed to perform tasks, such as teaching Sunday school or providing medical care through a church-run mission.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nYes, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) applies to volunteers and employees, if the nonprofit organization chooses to conduct background checks by partnering with a consumer reporting agency (CRA), like GoodHire. The FCRA is a federal law that requires employers to provide candidates (or volunteers) with written notice of their intent to run a background check, obtain written consent before proceeding, and follow the adverse action process should the results of a background check negatively impact a hiring or onboarding decision.
\n\n\n\nPartnering with a company that provides background check services for nonprofits, like GoodHire, can make compliance with FCRA requirements easier with built-in tool and workflows.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhether an individual is able to volunteer with a criminal record may depend on industry or area laws and the nonprofit organization’s background check policy. In some cases, federal, state, or local laws may require nonprofits to disqualify candidates when background checks for volunteers reveal certain types of convictions, such as sexual or child abuse offenses.
\n\n\n\nNonprofits may also establish their own policies regarding volunteer eligibility for individuals with a criminal record. For instance, an organization may elect not to proceed if the position involves financial responsibilities and the results of a volunteer background screening reveal a history of convictions for financial crimes.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVolunteer background check requirements vary based on organization type, location, and the individual policies of nonprofits. Federal, state, and local laws may establish specific requirements for certain organizations. For example, the law in your area may require a volunteer criminal background check for nonprofit organizations that serve seniors, children, or other vulnerable populations. Nonprofits can establish policies regarding when to conduct background checks during the volunteer background screening. If you’re unsure what the requirements are for your nonprofit, consult your legal counsel and your organization’s volunteer management policies and procedures.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBackground checks for volunteer work can help your nonprofit protect the populations you serve so you can focus on achieving your mission. For many organizations, the most convenient way to run compliant background checks is to work with qualified background check companies for nonprofits, like GoodHire.
\n\n\n\nGoodHire offers 100+ background screening options for employers and candidates, delivering fast, smooth, and safe reports. With features like custom messaging and built-in communications tools, we can help you provide the best possible experience for candidates while you gather the valuable information you need to move forward with the hiring and onboarding process. Get started with GoodHire today.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe resources provided here are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. We advise you to consult your own counsel if you have legal questions related to your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.
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