Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
APRIL 22, 2008 — Washington, DC — At a press conference attended by representatives of prominent youth serving organizations and the local media, the National Center for Victims of Crime revealed the results of Who’s Lending a Hand? A National Survey of Nonprofit Volunteer Screening Practices. The findings presented in the report were based on data compiled through telephone surveys with 517 nonprofit human services organizations drawn from a random sample of 2,251 nonprofits that provide direct services to clients. The sample was purchased from GuideStar.
The project was made possible through a grant from ChoicePoint to the National Center for Victims of Crime. The telephone surveys were conducted by representatives of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy at the University of Baltimore.
The report highlights “gaps in the volunteer screening practices of nonprofit organization” and the disconnect between the goal of many nonprofits who seek to avoid recruiting volunteers whose backgrounds make them unsuitable for service but who still lack adequate screening measures. For example while 65% of the surveyed nonprofits indicated that they would regard a prospective volunteer ineligible if he or she had been accused of child abuse, only 42% of the responding organizations acknowledged submitting applicant names to state Child Protective Services agencies in order to determine if allegations of abuse are on file with these agencies.
Of the 60 organizations (12% of the respondents) that reported no screening activities for volunteer applicants, three reasons were cited: (1) lack of usefulness of screening; (2) insufficient resources; and (3) concern about offending prospective volunteers.
In the section titled “Conclusions and Recommendations,” the authors of the study remind readers that “Volunteer screening should only be one part of an overall volunteer management policy within the organization. In additional to thoroughly screening potential volunteers, the organization also has an ongoing obligation to adequately supervise and train all staff and volunteers to ensure the quality of services and the well-being of clients receiving services.”
Acknowledging that the information was self-reported by those who agreed to be interviewed, Julie Whitman, Director of Special Projects for NCVC noted, “We recommend a further study that would involve direct observation and review of actual policies and practices.”
The Survey also revealed that half of the criminal history background checks conducted by those interviewed were done on a national (multi-state) basis, while the remaining were limited to a single state’s criminal history records. In addition, only 32% of the respondents reported that their volunteers were subjected to periodic re-screening.
Also speaking at the press conference was M. Carmela Welte, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National CASA. National CASA is a network of “50,000 volunteers that serve 225,000 abused and neglected children through 900+ local program offices nationwide.” Welte reports that National CASA has adopted national standards for volunteer placement. “Our standard for volunteer screening and selection requires a written application and three references, an interview and an initial training of three hours. We find that the training is often when volunteers are screened out. Our background checks include national, state and local checks, checking sex offender registries, a child protective services check if that is possible, and a motor vehicle records check.”
For more information on the Who’s Lending a Hand, and to download the report, visit www.ncvc.org.
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center recommends that nonprofits adjust the rigor of the screening process based on the risks posed by the position a volunteer or staff member seeks to occupy. That means that within one nonprofit there may be several screening “tracks” in place in order to adequately and affordably screen volunteers.
For information on volunteer and staff screening, consult the third edition of our Staff Screening Tool Kit.
Also, next month the Center will unveil a new online screening tool called QualitySelect that promises to make the process of creating a customized screening program for your nonprofit accessible and affordable. For more information on this new resource, contact the Center at (202) 785-3891.
“First let me congratulate you on a conference well done. I had a great time at the Nonprofit Employee Benefits Conference and walked away with some valuable tools and questions that we’ll need to be addressing in both the short and long term. Thanks to you and your staff for all you do to provide us with quality resources in support of our missions.”
“BBYO’s engagement of the Center to conduct a risk assessment was one of the most valuable processes undertaken over the past five years. Numerous programmatic and procedural changes were recommended and have since been implemented. Additionally, dozens (literally) of insurance coverage gaps were identified that would never have been without the work of the Center. This assessment led to a broker bidding process that resulted in BBYO’s selection of a new broker that we have been extremely satisfied with. I unconditionally recommend the Center for their consultative services.
“Melanie Herman has provided expert, insightful, timely and well resourced information to our Executive Team and Board of Directors. Our corporation recently experienced massive growth through merger and the Board has been working to better integrate their expanded set of roles and responsibilities. Melanie presented at our Annual Board of Director’s Retreat and captured the interest of our Board members. As a result of her excellent presentation the Board has engaged in focused review which is having immediate effects on governance.”
“The Nonprofit Risk Management Center has been an outstanding partner for us. They are attentive to our needs, and work hard to successfully meet our requests for information. Being an Affiliate member gave us access to so many time- and money-saving resources that it easily paid for itself! Nonprofit Risk Management Center is truly a valued partner of The Community Foundation of Elkhart County and we are continuously able to optimize staff time with the support given by their team.”
“The board and staff of the Prince George’s Child Resource Center are extremely pleased with the results of the risk assessment conducted by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. A thorough scan revealed that while we are a well run organization, we had risks that we never imagined. We are grateful to know that we have now minimized our organizational risks and we recommend the Center to other nonprofits.”
Great American Insurance Group’s Specialty Human Services is committed to protecting those who improve your communities. The Center team has committed to delivering dynamic risk management solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. These organizations have many and varied risk issues, hence the need for specialized coverage and expert knowledge for their protection. We’ve had Melanie speak on several occasions to employees and our agents. She is always on point and delivers such great value. Thank you for the terrific partnership and allowing our nonprofits to focus on their mission!