Many charities and non profit organizations (NPOs) think that they are not equipped or lack the resources to screen all volunteers that apply to help them. Especially in our down economy, when fund raising is more difficult and budgets have been slashed to the bone, volunteer managers might be tempted to skip this important step in the recruiting process.

What a mistake! Every organization has way too much to lose each time an unknown entity is put into the community on its behalf. Depending on the situation, a charity could face losses ranging from its good reputation, to a monetary loss from damages, or even the destruction of the entire organization—solely because it failed to conduct a criminal background check.

Especially at risk are those agencies serving vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, physically and mentally disabled, and children. Unfortunately, the general public contains far too many predators that target these groups specifically. How can a volunteer coordinator know who is safe—and who has the potential to ruin innocent lives and the organization itself?

Professional, thorough interviews of volunteer applicants is the first step to protecting your NPO. Ask the right questions, and ask the same of every applicant. Consider whether the person is appropriate for interacting with clients, or doing behind-the-scenes or event-only tasks that minimize their contact with the public.

Proper background screening is next. If funding is an issue, consider the potential losses to the organization if an unscreened criminal harms a client, and the value of background checks becomes clear. Don’t forget that credit checks can prevent financial losses.

Reference checks are also crucial. Ask references if they would want the potential volunteer taking care of their child, parent, or loved one. This question tends to make people think—and answer honestly.
And finally, for every new volunteer, the screening process must continue through proper training and supervision. This ongoing effort is necessary—even if the volunteer passed the background screening. You cannot be too careful.

If you are a non profit volunteer coordinator, remember that now, more than ever, proper procedures, including background checks, are essential to minimize the risk to your organization!

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) dependent on federal and state funding to successfully serve their clients and community often have their hands full dealing with extensive laws and regulations.

One area frequently mandated by state and federal governments is background screening. If your organization provides day care or child care services, or in the course of providing services brings employees or volunteers into contact with minors or vulnerable adults, you may be required to perform background checks on all employees and volunteers.

Programs that use federal funds or are under federal contracts are required to conduct criminal background checks on both employees and volunteers. Additionally, many states require all of an organization’s employees and volunteers to undergo background criminal checks if any state funds are used by the organization.

To implement background screening, you must notify the potential volunteer that it will be performed. If your organization is subject to mandated screening, and does not already have a formal application procedure, you should implement one immediately. Have the potential volunteer give written consent by way of a signature on a notification page, ideally separate from the application.

Be sure to document everything! Each interaction with a potential volunteer, along with copies of background checks, credit checks, or criminal background checks, must be filed securely and preserved. You never know when you might need to prove that you took the proper steps to protect your clients and community members in your volunteer recruitment and placement efforts.

All Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs) rely on their volunteers. But some NPOs, by the nature of their work, sometimes put their volunteers in harm’s way. You want to know you’re doing everything you can to keep your volunteers safe—and not only because it’s the right thing to do. It’s important to the financial health of your NPO to minimize all risks, including risks to volunteers’ safety.

Share these tips with your volunteers. Then, enforce them every day.

Don’t be a target. Regardless of the area your volunteers are working in, it’s important not to draw attention. Have volunteers leave their jewelry at home, and their purses or backpacks in locked storage at the office. They should carry only a driver’s license or other ID, plus the keys they need to operate the vehicle they are driving.

Buddy up. Have your volunteers work in pairs at minimum. Partner older or frail individuals with someone younger and stronger.

Be aware of surroundings. It’s important to keep looking around when walking down unfamiliar streets. Warn volunteers not to walk with eyes focused on the sidewalk or they’ll be easy to sneak up on. Help them identify safe havens like stores, fire stations, or service stations in the neighborhood they’ll be working where they can seek help if necessary.

Avoid walking, driving, and stopping on poorly-lit streets. If they must stop, your volunteers should do so in a well-lighted parking lot at a busy place, such as a department or grocery store.

Cop an attitude. Tell your volunteers to walk with heads held high, to look like they mean business, and to maintain a healthy degree of mistrust. It may be against their nature to be rude, but it could be important to their safety in certain situations.

Parking safety:  No leaving keys in the ignition. Try to park under a streetlight on a busy street, or even better, in staffed parking lots or garages. Don’t park next to large trucks or RVs. Check the back seat before entering the car. Do not leave valuables in the vehicle.

Check-ins are a must. Everyone must call into the office at regular intervals when working in the field. Record your volunteers’ cell numbers so you can call them if they miss a check in. Consider having a couple of extra cell phones added to the organizational account to give to cellular-free volunteers. Everyone should have the means to make emergency phone calls at all times. If a volunteer is working in an area with no cell coverage, have them call from a landline and then record that number.

These basic safety tips can keep your volunteers from becoming targets or victims of crime when working on behalf of your organization. By practicing caution each time they are in the field, it becomes second nature. And don’t anyone slack off on safety; remember that minimizing your NPOs financial risk is part of good management. And for an even higher level of protection, screen potential volunteers before you allow them to work with your clients, volunteers or staff.

Keep It Professional

Potential volunteers may be knocking on your door in larger numbers than you expect. Volunteerism is on the rise, not only because the spirit of giving back in the US is strong, but because the economy is weak. Whether they want give back to their community or remove gaps in their resume, how do you handle an increase in volunteers?

If you’re in the position where you have more potential volunteers than you have work for, then you’ll need to screen prospective volunteers carefully to ensure you make a good match. Here are a few tips when considering volunteer candidates.

Treat the Process Like a Job Interview
Because it is! Your organization has work to do; whether it is handled by paid or volunteer workers, it must be done properly and efficiently. So review the prospective volunteer’s credentials and experience. Ask the tough questions, like:

What is your interest in our organization?
What do you hope to accomplish here?
What do you hope to get out of the experience?

Fit the Volunteer With the Right Position
Here’s where the process differs from a job interview. Your volunteers don’t always apply for a specific position—many will offer to do whatever needs to be done.  Don’t take the easy route and have Mary, a laid-off computer programmer, start revamping the donor database. And Jason, the college student, might not be the best choice for repainting the restrooms.  Drill down a bit to find out not only what they would be good at, but what they want to do. Perhaps Mary needs a break, and would much rather drive elderly clients to the Senior Center. Jason might rather be outside cutting grass and edging sidewalks than inside with a paintbrush. Try these questions:

What gives you the greatest satisfaction at work?
What would you like to do here?
What would you like to avoid? 
What do you do for fun?

What NOT to Say
Now we go back to treating it like a job interview! Protect yourself and your organization by complying with employment laws. Avoid being too personal. You may have a genuine rapport with your potential volunteer, but until they have been properly screened, you need to keep it professional. Remember to steer clear of illegal questions, such as race, national origin, sexual identity, age, and marital status. Religious and family questions are also inappropriate. If or where someone goes to church, and how many children they have, can come up in friendly conversation if they initiate it later, but not during the interview.

Volunteer Screening
Failing to properly screen potential volunteers could have negative consequences for your NPO and the population it serves, from damaging the organization’s reputation to legal or criminal issues. Background screening is the best way to ensure you are introducing qualified individuals to your organization, its employees and those you serve.

We’ve all heard the stories of nationally-known religious leaders who defrauded their churches for large sums of money. But there are countless untold stories of volunteers who damage smaller organizations in big ways. They range from PTA presidents to phony CPAs; from Board treasurers to thrift store cashiers. Their victims are programs designed to assist children and teachers, or the homeless, or youth sports associations. Nationally, non profits suffer great financial losses from corrupt volunteers.

Some dishonest people are on a mission to steal: they volunteer to gain access to an organization’s financial records. Others just find it too easy to take a little off the top when nobody’s looking. Some have gambling addictions; others steal for the thrill; still others just need the cash. Their communities and friends are always shocked by the criminal actions of these seemingly good people.

Fraud is a concern for all organizations—and you simply cannot tell a person’s character by appearance. Even articulate, outgoing, well-dressed, and happy-to-help volunteers can be deceitful—and folks who are good at lying can hide some very scary secrets. Luckily, fraud can be avoided with proper controls and procedures.

Volunteer screening is the first defense against fraud. Background screening is routinely performed by smart employers when hiring new staff. But it’s just as important for non profits recruiting unpaid help. The volunteer recruiter’s responsibility is to prevent monetary theft from the organization and to protect the people it serves, its staff, and its other volunteers. Volunteer screening is an easy way to protect the organization from those potential volunteers who have personal profit on their agendas, as well as those hiding violent or predatory pasts. It’s vitally important to screen potential volunteers for all of these issues.

Help prevent fraud in your organization with background checks. Proper volunteer screening will help keep your organization safe.

Good volunteers can be hard to find—so retaining those you have should be a top priority in any charitable organization. Establishing procedures to improve volunteer relations is key to this ongoing challenge.

Wondering where to start? Let’s look at some basic steps to improving retention. Clear communication is key to smooth relationships; this is just as true with volunteers as with paid staff or anyone else in our lives.  Nobody can read minds, so be very clear about expectations and responsibilities. Explain how each volunteer’s role fits into the organizational mission. Keep them informed with newsletters and send event invitations to your volunteers.

Get feedback.  Ask your volunteers how they’re doing, what they need, and how you can be of service to them. You may find out more than you bargained for, but your effort will likely be appreciated. For more extensive planning, consider a formal survey of current and past volunteers. Streamline existing procedures or implement new ones based on the results.

Be sure your volunteers receive adequate support. From simple things like proper tools and sufficient supplies, to educational materials and development seminars, help your volunteers do their jobs and continue to learn. Engaged volunteers are more likely to stick around.

Show appreciation. Everyone wants to feel appreciated, but we all receive messages differently. Some folks need plenty of attention, encouragement and applause. Others shy away from the spotlight—just keeping them busy and respecting their time is enough.  Get to know your volunteers, find out what they need from you, and you’ll learn how you can best appreciate and motivate them.

An often-overlooked aspect of retention is safety. Do you provide a safe environment for your volunteers? Older volunteers, while usually in good health, can be more vulnerable to workplace hazards. Provide a physically safe environment for them to work in. Turn off the loud music so they can hear and interact better. Keep sidewalks and interior walkways clear. Provide plenty of exterior lighting and accessible, clean restrooms.

Most important, keep your volunteers safe by performing background checks. Proper volunteer screening for criminal or predator status will ensure that everyone’s safety is uncompromised. Make screening a standard procedure—it will help you recruit and retain the best volunteers for your organization—and keep them safe!

Screening criteria generally become more useful the more specific they are. This will pinpoint areas of concern, and not unnecessarily disqualify applicants.

Narrowing Criteria

The phrase ‘drug-related offenses’ covers everything from a single misdemeanor possession of less than an ounce of marijuana to felony racketeering. Narrowing the categories of offenses to target specific relevant offenses, and within a defined time period, can be much more useful. There are several factors which should be taken into consideration when reviewing criminal records and how the offense applies to the situation at hand: the age of the individual at the time of the offense, the societal context in which the offense occurred, the probability that the type of behavior will continue, and the person’s commitment to rehabilitation and changing the behavior in question. In general, crimes occurring within the past year or two may well be more relevant than those in the distant past (which exception, of course, of sexually exploitive offenses which remain an unacceptable risk when working with vulnerable populations).

Personal safety is the primary concern for children and other vulnerable populations. Relevant criminal offenses that would disqualify a volunteer from working with these groups generally include crimes against persons. Organizations serving youths generally permanently disqualify any individual from a position requiring substantial contact with children if their crimes include any of the following: past history of sexual abuse, conviction of any crime in which children were involved, and history of any violence or sexually exploitive behavior. The relevance of other offenses depends on the position involved. For example, a position working in home-health care would likely have access to prescription drugs and therefore a recent record of certain drug-related offenses would have relevance.

One of the most important aspects of establishing guidelines for use of criminal background checks in volunteer screening is to determine relevant offenses. Specifically, within the context of the nonprofit’s mission, what offenses should be considered relevant for not accepting a volunteer application. Relevance generally relates most directly to the function of specific positions within the organization.

When to Background Check

Some organizations will even limit the use of criminal background checks to those positions with substantial direct contact with children (as defined by state law), or who will be working in the homes of vulnerable individuals.

Check Laws and Regulations

Care must always be taken to account for state and local regulations and laws. Some have screening or licensing requirements for just those kinds of positions.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, reports annually on the number of volunteers in the United States. Between September 2006 and September 2007, more than 60 million people volunteered at least once. For additional information in the annual report, released in January 2008, please visit http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm