SOURCE: Freepik

 

Nonprofit organizations are sturdy bridges connecting enthusiastic volunteers with the causes they’re passionate about. Much like a bridge requires a strong foundation to ensure the safety and stability of the people walking on it, volunteer programs rely on background checks to create a safe environment for the participants. The initial safety check during the volunteer onboarding plays a critical role in ensuring that volunteers who’ve applied are reliable and meet the standards required to work. As organizations highly rely on volunteers and programs involving working with vulnerable communities and sensitive data, automated background checks have proved to be a valuable tool for selecting suitable candidates and reducing risks. Additionally, automation in background checks streamlines the process and makes it faster, more thorough, and highly efficient. In this article, we’ll discuss how automated background checks can create a safe and reliable volunteer environment, benefiting the volunteers and the organizations they support.

 

Automated Background Checks: Backbone of Safe and Dependable Volunteer Programs

SOURCE: Freepik

• Faster and Efficient Onboarding

 

One of the major tasks that comes with traditional onboarding is to manually check vast amounts of data. This makes the whole process time-consuming and labor-intensive, often taking days or even weeks to complete. Automated background checks simplify this process by rapidly sifting through data, identifying any red flags, and verifying personal information. They eliminate the long hours and process applications quickly without compromising on safety. It weeds out the unsuitable candidates and allows the selected volunteers to start working sooner rather than later, crafting a positive volunteer experience from the beginning.

• Eliminates the Possibility of Human Bias

 

Manual screening in any organization has the potential for human bias, which can lead to inconsistencies in how a candidate or a volunteer is assessed. Automated checks have navigated this problem by relying on objective data. This means that it has created a common criteria where every volunteer is evaluated based solely on verified information. For instance, organizations can use volunteering survey questions to collect an applicant’s skills or past experiences. Further, when you pair it with automated background checks, the answer to these questions can reveal a lot more and provide a more complete and fair assessment. This is how organizations can ensure volunteers are selected based on merit rather than subjective judgment.

• Comprehensive Criminal and Identity Checks

 

We’ve already established that working in volunteer programs involves interaction with vulnerable communities and access to sensitive information. Now, both of these things make it important to ensure that volunteers do not pose a risk. To ensure this, organizations can integrate automated background check systems that can efficiently cross-check criminal records and identity details across multiple databases, providing a comprehensive profile of the applicant. This includes everything from national and local criminal records to verification of Social Security numbers. Such thorough checking prevents unsuitable individuals from gaining access to sensitive roles and information.

• Adheres to Specific Screening Standards

 

To maintain compliance, every country has a certain set of local and federal laws that nonprofit organizations must adhere to. It involves meeting specific screening standards to keep organizations and their volunteers well within legal boundaries. The automated background check platforms are designed to meet these standards to ensure that each screening process aligns with the laws. Additionally, you can automate the compliance check so your organization doesn’t overlook important regulation updates that can lead to potential legal issues in the future.

• Prioritizes Volunteers’ Privacy

 

Volunteer applications often require detailed information such as personal contact details, addresses, and identification numbers. This information is sensitive, and the volunteers wouldn’t want any unauthorized person to gain access to it. Here come the robust encryption and data protection measures employed by the automated background check systems to securely handle this information. By showing such commitment to data security, organizations not only protect themselves but also build trust with volunteers, who are more likely to feel comfortable sharing personal information with organizations that prioritize their privacy.

• Transparent Reporting to Help Make Informed Decisions

 

Integrating a secure layer of automated background checks allows organizations to make informed decisions. For instance, it provides detailed, easy-to-read reports that even non-technical personnel can understand, allowing for more transparent and efficient decision-making. This transparency fosters trust between organizations and volunteers so that any issues discovered during the background check can be addressed and discussed openly. Additionally, this information allows a fair assessment of the candidates and helps justify volunteer selection decisions if ever questioned by board members, donors, or the public.

 

End Note

 

Automated background checks with all its features ensure both the volunteers and the vulnerable communities experience a safe and secure environment while interacting and working with each other. By integrating this automated layer of security into their program, organizations can breathe a sigh of relief and confidently welcome the volunteers, knowing that the safety standards are met. This way you also attract potential volunteers, as they will be able to serve without worrying about their shared information.