Why Volunteer Background Checks Are Part of a Broader Duty-Of-Care Strategy
This is a guest blog by Christian Moore. Christian is COO at Global Verification Network. He has more than 20 years of investigative and business experience with competencies including surveillance, competitive intelligence, pre-employment and course-of-employment background screening.
Volunteers are often at the heart of a nonprofit’s work. Depending on the organization, they may mentor young people, deliver meals, organize events, handle donations, drive community members to appointments, or simply lend an extra set of hands when they are needed most.
Bringing volunteers into that work also comes with a responsibility to think carefully about safety. Background checks can be an important part of that process, but they are only one piece of it. A thoughtful duty-of-care strategy looks at the bigger picture, including how volunteers are selected, trained, supervised, and supported throughout their time with the organization.
Start With the Volunteer’s Role
Screening works best when it reflects what a volunteer will be doing. A person helping set up tables for an annual fundraiser does not necessarily present the same risks as someone who regularly works alone with children or transports program participants.
Before deciding what type of screening is appropriate, nonprofits should look closely at each role. Will the volunteer have access to money or sensitive records? Will they drive on behalf of the organization? Are they working with children, older adults, or other vulnerable populations? How closely will they be supervised?
Those questions can help determine which checks make sense. Depending on the position, that could include criminal history searches, reference checks, driving records, or verification of professional credentials. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, background check programs can be structured around the responsibilities and risks that come with different roles.
It also helps to decide in advance what information is relevant to a position and how it will be evaluated. Having clear standards gives staff a more consistent framework for making decisions when screening results come back.
Don’t Let Screening Become the Entire Safety Plan
One of the biggest limitations of a background check is right there in the name: it looks backward. It can provide useful information about someone’s history, but it cannot guarantee how that person will behave in the future.
That is why screening should sit alongside other everyday safeguards.
For example, nonprofits can give new volunteers a clear orientation that covers appropriate conduct, boundaries, confidentiality, and how to report a concern. Volunteers should know who supervises their work and where to go when they have a question or encounter a situation they are not prepared to handle.
Simple operational practices can make a difference, too. Organizations might require additional supervision for certain activities, limit when volunteers can be alone with program participants, or use consistent reference questions for higher-responsibility roles. Written policies help make those expectations clear instead of leaving volunteers and staff to interpret them on their own.
Keep the Process Consistent
Volunteer screening can become difficult when decisions are made differently from one applicant to the next. A written process helps everyone understand what information is being reviewed, why it matters, who can see it, and how decisions will be made.
A criminal record, for example, should not automatically be treated as proof that someone is unsuitable for every volunteer position. The nature of the role, the relevance of the information, organizational policies, and applicable legal requirements all matter when evaluating screening results.
Consistency also means revisiting the process from time to time. A nonprofit may add a new program, begin serving a different population, or give volunteers responsibilities they did not previously have. Screening policies and other safeguards should evolve along with those changes.
Think Beyond the Initial Background Check
Duty of care is not something a nonprofit can check off during volunteer onboarding and then forget. It continues for as long as volunteers are part of the organization. Background screening can provide useful information at the beginning, but clear expectations, good training, attentive supervision, and practical reporting procedures help manage risk over time. Together, these measures create a stronger approach to protecting the people who volunteer, the people they serve, and the organization they represent.
