Volunteering Screening Trends & Best Practices Report:2017 (US)

19/02/2018

To access this report: Click Here

Authors: Points of Light in partnership with Verified Volunteers.

Published: January 2017.

Background to the research:

Verified Volunteers is an organisation that provides a background screening platform for the not-for- profit sector in the US.   Their company mission is to help organisations in this sector to reduce the time and effort spent on background checks of volunteers. 

In 2015 they conducted their first survey in the sector and have now made this an annual event, with the purpose of providing benchmarks, trends and tips for volunteer managers.  This report covers the 2016 findings as well as aspects from the earlier 2015 study which covered broader issues relating to volunteer management.

Objectives:

  1. To ascertain the thoughts and practices of a wide range of not-for-profit organisations on the practice of volunteer screening, as well as other aspects of volunteer management in order to provide actionable insights for volunteer managers.

Methodology:

Survey with 700+ managers of volunteer programs in the not-for-profit sector which conduct some form of background screening on their volunteers, covering all areas related to the screening of volunteers, as well as some questions on broader volunteer management issues.  

Key Outcomes/Findings:

  • In the US, organisation which involve volunteers are involving more than ever and increasingly they are serving the needs of more vulnerable sectors of the population (e.g. the elderly, the homeless, children). This has led to almost two thirds of organisation anticipating that the number of background checks they will do in the next year will increase. 

  • Organisation are spending more per background check than previously and this may be due to a greater understanding of the risks inherent to the positions being filled. What this means for organisations is that it is more important than ever to make the case for a volunteer program budget that meets organisational, security and human capital needs. Tips for obtaining the budget you need include:
    • Making sure you are fully tracking volunteer metrics. Impact measures make a more effective argument that simple numbers and hours, so calculate how many constituents your volunteers have affected as well as the hours and per hour values they have donated.
    • Don’t leave out hidden costs of your program. Include staff time of employees who recruit, train and supervise.   Include recruiting and onboarding costs such as background checks.
    • Don’t just ask for money. Be specific about what your increased ask is for and the results it will have.
    • Connect your financial request to overall strategy. If your organisation is looking to serve more clients, reach more populations or grow giving make sure your leaders see the link between your program’s growth and those goals.
    • Provide the negative arguments too. Share some of the pitfalls of underinvestment which could hurt your organisation’s status.
  • Training programs for volunteers are on the rise. Formal training was felt to have benefits beyond the obvious, establishing standards of competency, branding the organisation as not only caring but capable and signalling to volunteers what is expected of them.

  • Most organisations have a risk management program in place to protect employees, assets, clients and reputation. But organisations that use volunteers may need a different risk managements program for them.  Suggestions around how to ascertain whether a different risk management program is required revolve around assessing whether volunteers are trained, supervised and carry out their work differently to regular employees.  The report advocates development of a risk management program for volunteers involving the following 3 steps: 1) Identification of risks; 2) evaluation of risks 3) reduction of risks (common mitigations included re-evaluation of your insurance policy, upgrading of equipment and facilities, upgrading of background screening and the creation of practices to deal with risk related events).  
  • Participant in the survey also passed on their suggestions for creating and improving volunteer programs including:
    • Making sure volunteers are aware of their impact. Educate them about the effects of their work.
    • Don’t just talk the talk do the work. When an organisations leadership volunteers alongside unpaid workers everyone benefits.
    • Understand your volunteers and what motivates them.
    • Use your organisations social media to write a blog devoted to your volunteers.
    • Feature your volunteers on a dedicated or special page on your organisation’s website
    • Spread the word about your volunteers. Include their accomplishments in your organisation’s publicity material.
    • Don’t speak down to your volunteers.