大多数企业都会对其员工进行背景审查，以降低招聘疏忽风险、满足监管要求并提高整体招聘质量。对于那些帮助青年、老年人、残疾人和其他弱势群体的组织来说尤其如此。
然而，许多非营利组织未能对其志愿者进行背景调查。与员工一样，志愿者可能会直接接触财务资源、财产、其他工人和社区。未能对志愿者进行背景筛查会使组织面临更大的安全、法律和声誉风险。
志愿者背景调查的好处
1. 保护您的社区、成员和声誉
如果一个人有犯罪行为的历史，那么根据多种因素，该人将来可能会重复这种行为。一个组织的志愿者犯下的罪行可能会损害该组织的信誉，并对其筹集资金和在未来继续工作的能力产生负面影响。对以前的违法行为进行背景筛查可以帮助保护组织的财产、工人、志愿者和社区成员。
2. 遵守州和联邦法律
组织应咨询其法律顾问，以了解可能影响其志愿者背景筛查计划的当前和待定的州和联邦立法。一些州，包括弗吉尼亚州和佐治亚州，要求对与社区弱势成员（如儿童、老人和残疾人）一起工作的志愿者进行背景审查。还有各种州和联邦法律规定了与进行某些类型的背景筛查（例如犯罪记录和信用检查）相关的限制和要求。
3. 降低法律风险
一个全面的志愿者背景调查程序可以帮助保护组织免受代价高昂的诉讼。犯罪记录搜索、性犯罪者登记、机动车记录和其他背景调查有助于防止雇用不合适的志愿者，从而有助于避免可能导致潜在的疏忽雇用索赔的事件发生。组织应咨询其法律顾问，以确定哪些类型的背景调查有助于防止组织面临法律风险。
严重依赖志愿者队伍但不进行背景调查的组织可能会将自己和公众置于危险之中。背景筛查与信誉良好的按需就业筛查提供商合作，是您组织成功的可靠投资。
background screening on their employees to mitigate negligent hiring risks, meet regulatory compliance and to improve the overall quality of hire. This is especially true for those organizations assisting the youth, elderly, disabled and other vulnerable populations.
However, many non-profit organizations fail to background check their volunteers. Like employees, volunteers may have direct contact with financial resources, property, other workers and the community. Failing to background screen volunteers can expose an organization to increased safety, legal and reputation risks.
Benefits of Volunteer Background Checks
1. Protect Your Community, Members and Reputation
If a person has a history of criminal behavior, then depending upon a number of factors, there could be a risk that person will repeat such behavior in the future. A crime committed by an organization’s volunteer could discredit the organization and negatively impact its ability to raise funds and continue your work in the future. Background screening for previous offenses can help protect an organization’s property, workers, volunteers and community members.
2. Comply with State and Federal Laws
An organization should consult with its legal counsel to understand current and pending state and federal legislation that may affect its volunteer background screening program. Some states, including Virginia and Georgia, require background screening for volunteers working with vulnerable members of the community, such as children, the elderly and the disabled. There are also a variety of state and federal laws that establish restrictions and requirements related to conducting certain types of background screening, such as criminal history and credit checks.
3. Mitigate Legal Risks
A comprehensive volunteer background check program can help protect an organization from costly lawsuits. Criminal records searches, sex offender registry, motor vehicle records and other background checks can help prevent hiring unsuitable volunteers, which in turn can help avoid incidents from occurring that could result in potential negligent hiring claims. An organization should consult with its legal counsel to determine which types of background checks can help prevent legal risks for the organization.
Organizations that rely heavily on a volunteer workforce but do not conduct background checks could be putting themselves and the public at risk. Background screening, in partnership with a reputable on-demand employment screening provider, is a solid investment in your organization’s success.
