Learning Center

Volunteer background checks

How important are volunteer background checks? Do they even matter? Organizations that rely in part on volunteer labor consistently find themselves asking these questions. The assumption is usually that volunteer background checks are less important than background checks for full-time or part-time employees. According to a CareerBuilder survey from 2016, 72 percent of employers conduct background checks on all employees. A parallel statistic isn’t even available for volunteer checks. They are less common – and less valued.But not less important

Why Employers Should Screen Their Volunteers Regardless of Legal Requirements

While staying on top of relevant legislation is a must for any organization that wishes to conduct background checks on its volunteers, legal compliance should not be the only focus. Just because your organization is not required by law to screen volunteers doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. On the contrary, there is a strong argument to be made that all volunteers should be thoroughly vetted—regardless of legal requirements, volunteer role, and other factors.

An important point to recognize is volunteers are a face of your organization just like employees. And just like employees, volunteers can have an impact on the way people see your brand. They are interacting with your customers or clientele. They are working closely with children. They have access to your premises, computer systems, products, finances, and more. In short, volunteers have employee-like responsibilities they can abuse.

What are the risks of not screening your volunteers? A volunteer can steal from you, whether by pocketing office supplies or embezzling funds. A volunteer can commit abuse on the job, whether by physically assaulting a customer or sexually assaulting a child. A volunteer driving a company vehicle can get in a car accident for which your company is held liable. Essentially, everything an employee can do to leave your business vulnerable to lawsuits and public backlash, a volunteer can do as well.

A big question volunteer organizations ask at this point is, where should we start? They recognize the value of screening their volunteers but aren’t sure which checks they should be running. At the same time, they may be operating with limited budgets and trying to figure out how they should prioritize their checks. Below, we have provided a quick and easy rundown of what your check should include.

Learn the reasons why other volunteer organizations use background checks in our free white paper