Whether serving vulnerable populations, managing donor funds, or advocating for social change, maintaining a reputation of integrity is essential for success. As such, your organization must be diligent in your hiring practices to ensure the safety of the populations you serve and the credibility of your mission. One crucial aspect of this diligence is conducting thorough non profit background checks on prospective employees and volunteers.
In this blog post, we explore the importance of non profit background checks and provide actionable insights for navigating this important process.
Criminal Background Checks for Non Profit Organizations
We provide background checks and identity verification services for companies in many industries, but we’re aware that these screening services can also benefit volunteer associations and non profit organizations in their search for employees and volunteers. We also understand that these types organizations often have limited budgets so they need an affordable, simple background screening program that frees up their time to focus on more important projects.
If you’re the lead at one of these value-driven organizations, know that Certn is here to help you.
Vulnerable Sector Checks
Non profit organizations often work with sensitive populations, including children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities. Ensuring the safety and well-being of these individuals is paramount. There aren’t any online background screening vendors in Canada who are authorized to provide vulnerable sector checks, so you’ll have to visit your local police detachment in person for a vulnerable sector check. Though, here’s more information on The Problem with Canada’s Vulnerable Sector Checks, with suggestions for what to use instead if you have the flexibility to choose other options.
Criminal Background Checks for Non Profit Organizations
By screening candidates for criminal history, you can mitigate the risk of hiring individuals with a history of violence, abuse, or other harmful behaviours. Additionally, you can help safeguard your organization’s reputation by demonstrating a commitment to safety.
We offer Canadian criminal record checks, US criminal record checks, UK criminal record checks, and more international background checks.
Key Considerations for Non Profit Background Checks
Ensuring your non-profit brings in the right employees or volunteers is critical to the success of your organization and achieving your overall goal. This is where Certn’s non profit background checks come in.
Here’s what to keep in mind when you’re building your screening program:
- Compliance: Even as a volunteer organization, you know you must comply with all relevant laws and regulations governing background checks, including federal and state guidelines such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and state-specific regulations in the US and the Consumer Reporting Act and provincial regulations in Canada.
- Volunteer Screening: Volunteers play a crucial role in many nonprofit organizations. Implementing background checks for volunteers, particularly those working directly with vulnerable populations, is essential for risk management. If you want volunteers to complete their own background checks online, MyCRC, a division of Certn, provides personal background checks for $64.99.
- Consent and Disclosure: You must obtain appropriate consent and provide clear disclosure to candidates before initiating a background check. Transparent communication helps build trust and ensures compliance with legal requirements.
- Individualized Assessment: In cases where a candidate’s background check reveals past criminal convictions, you may want to conduct an individualized assessment to determine the relevance of the offence to the position in question. Consider factors such as the nature of your industry and organization, the offence, the time elapsed since the conviction, and evidence of rehabilitation.
- Vendor Selection: Choosing the right background screening vendor can help your organization manage cost. On top of pricing, look for providers with experience working with non profit organizations and a track record of accuracy, compliance, and data security. Here are 25 questions to ask to know if you’re Choosing the Right Background Screening Vendor.
By prioritizing thorough non profit background checks, you can safeguard your community, protect your reputation, and fulfill your commitment to integrity and accountability. With the right policies, procedures, and partners in place, you can navigate the complexities of background screening with confidence and diligence.
Best Practices for Non Profit Background Checks
Finding the right employees and volunteers can be difficult. If you hire volunteers and employees as a part of your job, completing thorough background screenings can help to ensure that the employees and volunteers you hire are the right people for the job.
Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
- Establish Clear Policies: Develop comprehensive background screening policies and procedures tailored to the unique needs and risks of your organization and follow the same policies and screening protocols for each role to ensure fairness. Public Safety Canada has published best practice guidelines for screening volunteers.
- Train Staff and Volunteers: Educate staff and volunteers on the importance of background checks and their role in ensuring the safety and integrity of the organization to increase uptake and compliance.
- Maintain Confidentiality: Handle personal identifiable information and confidential background check information with the utmost confidentiality and ensure compliance with data protection laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) where applicable.
- Regular Review: Periodically review and update your background screening policies to reflect changes in regulations, best practices, and organizational needs. For example, if your organization grows and you end up hiring a spokesperson with external media responsibilities, you may need more comprehensive screening such as social media screening.
If you want more support, the guide How to Create a Background Screening Policy has more tips.
Certn’s Non Profit Background Checks
We’ll cut right to the chase. Certn’s background screening program offers the following benefits:
Quick Setup, Easy Admin – Certn background checks are continuously rated Easiest Set Up, Easiest Admin, and Easiest Implementation by real users on G2.com, the world’s largest software marketplace. It’s simple to sign up, select a package, and get started quickly.
Affordable Background Checks – We want you to prioritize your resources on achieving your mission, which is why we offer pay-as-you-go payment models (say goodbye to contracts you don’t use). When weighing your cost benefit analysis, consider the cost of background checks versus the cost of a lawsuit. Your liability insurance may require certain types of background checks as well.
White-Labeled Platform and Dashboard – Your brand is important to you, and we respect that. It’s why we can provide you with your own online background check dashboard, with your brand colours and logo at no additional cost.
Better User Experience – Your applicants and candidates will have access to our mobile-optimized online background check service, which allows them to complete a check on a smartphone. In fact, 80% of our background checks are completed on a smartphone, with users citing they love the convenience of easy background checks from home.
Faster Turnaround Times – You can start using our background screening service right away. It only takes a few minutes to sign up and it’s just as fast for candidates to complete their background checks.
Background Checks for Non Profit Organizations
Maintaining trust and credibility is essential for mission-driven organizations. Whether you’re looking for volunteers or full-time employees, conducting comprehensive non profit background checks can help you choose the right people with safe records and integrity. We have the background screening industry expertise to help you stay protected and assemble a qualified team to help execute your mission and vision.
How can you complete background checks on volunteers without the cost of outsourcing? If you’re trying to cut costs in an organization where volunteers require background checks and save money for the organization’s mission, we want to share your cost burden and do our part in your greater cause, so sports associations, industry associations, real estate associations, camps, charities, non-profits, and more can all benefit from Certn.
We’ve got you covered so you don’t have to spend time researching non profit background checks and can focus on your mission. Click here to get started today.
