Background Checks For Non-Profit Organizations

Most non-profit organizations consider background checks as an unnecessary encumbrance. They assume that only for-profits need to bother with such things. Many erroneously think that background checks can actually discourage people from joining their ranks.

This is because many nonprofits are often staffed by volunteers. As long as someone is willing to offer their time and effort, they argue, why alienate them by subjecting them to background checks?

Well, for starters, unless carried out sloppily, background checks cannot discourage potential volunteers (unless the volunteers have something to hide). On the contrary, it can provide them with the confidence that they will be working alongside people who have been thoroughly vetted. This can actually encourage serious volunteers.

However, the main reason for background checks is to maximize the security of the recipients of the organizations’ services. Most non-profits deal with sensitive populations e.g. children, youths, orphans, the elderly and vulnerable communities. A sloppy screening policy can expose such people to criminals and sex offenders. This can expose them to serious risks.

By exposing beneficiaries to unnecessary risks, an organization actually places its own reputation in jeopardy. If an ex-con is to slip through the screening process and, for instance, molest a child, the fall-out can be disastrous. The reputational damage to the organization can be extremely costly.

Given that most non-profits depend on donations, any damage to the reputation can cause donors to cut funding. Basically, the entire organization’s operations can be severely affected, or even grow to a halt by a single screening mistake. As such, it is imperative for nonprofits to carry out thorough background checks on all their employees and volunteers.

Besides being thorough, the background checks also need to be carried out in compliance with relevant legislations. Over the last few years, there has been a rise in lawsuits and class actions resulting from illegal background checks. Most such legal actions have resulted from violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Some organizations have had to pay millions of dollars in settlements.

For a non-profit, such lawsuits can have dire consequences. First of all, the negative publicity can seriously hurt their reputation. And if they are to be found liable, the financial settlements can be too costly to bear. Given that most non-profits barely manage to balance their books, being fined millions of dollars can actually spell their end.

In a nutshell, nonprofits need thorough background checks to maximize the safety of their beneficiaries. The checks need to be carried out in compliance with FCRA and similar regulations. Above all, the checks should be fully customizable to serve the unique needs of every organization. This is where we come in.

At Crimcheck, our commitment is to ensure that every non-profit gets the background checking service which it deserves. As such, we have designed a number of services which serves the needs of different categories of non-profit organizations. These include Churches, Youth Programs, Charities, Camps, Rotary’s, YMCA’s and Zoological Societies.

Churches

Churches need thorough background checks especially for people who will hold positions of leadership. This includes reverends/pastors, Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, and the like. This is because such people tend to hold more authority than their counterparts in non-religious settings. Entrusting the wrong people with such authority can put the vulnerable people who the church ministers to at risk.

However, given that most church positions are held on a voluntary basis, the issue of background checks has to be approached carefully. When people feel like they are being treated with suspicion, they can simply walk away – even when they don’t have anything to hide.

This is why Crimcheck offers a special service for churches. Our background checks are designed to meet the unique circumstances of churches. We strive to offer a service which is simple, hustle-free, yet effective.

At the core of our service is an Applicant Link system. This enables church volunteers to submit their details online, at their convenience. This saves you the hustle (and embarrassment) of having to invite volunteers to your premises to fill in the background check forms. It also gives potential volunteers the feeling of privacy and discretion.

Our background screening package for churches covers a number of services including:

• Sexual Offender Searches
• Criminal Background Checks
• Driving Records Searches
• Employment Verification

Each service is carried out in line with FCRA regulations. We offer a range of pricing and payment options which are geared towards the unique circumstances of churches. Ultimately, we can enable every church to carry out background checks without any hassles.

Youth Programs

Any organization which deals with the youth needs to carry out background checks on all persons involved. This includes organizations which organize youth sports, camps, housing, and training/mentorship programs.

Persons involved including staff, volunteers, mentors, and coaches need to be carefully screened. Such screening is necessary for guaranteeing the safety of the youth by keeping out potential offenders. It is also necessary for ensuring that the individuals involved have the capacity to act as positive role models for the kids.

At Crimcheck, we have a background checking service which is specifically designed for organizations which offer youth programs. Our expertise has caused us to become the preferred partner of the American Camp Association.

Our service makes it easy for youth organizations to carry out background checks with ease. We offer an automated Payment system which can enable coaches or partners to pay for their own background checks. This makes simplifies the screening process.

All our background checks are carried out in line with FCRA compliance rules. We can even offer organizations practical tips on how to avoid common FCRA violations. Our commitment is to ensure that organizations get the best service possible within the legislative boundaries.

As a NAPBS certified company, Crimcheck provides the following services for youth-related organizations:

• Criminal Background Checks
• Drug Testing
• Sexual Offender Searches
• Driving Record Searches

These are just a few of the services we offer youth organizations. For the full range of our services, check the services link above. We also offer customized background checks according to the unique needs of each organization.

Therefore, if you run a youth organization and need our need any background check, simply contact us. We shall offer the best service which you deserve.

Charities

Given the nature of their work, charities need to ensure that they recruit people of impeccable character. They especially need to ensure that people with a history of fraud or financial mismanagement are kept from joining their ranks. For this, they need to dig deep into the backgrounds of any potential employees. This is what the Crimcheck background checking service for charities offers.

This service is built on our 20+ years of experience in the background checking industry. It is aimed at providing the most thorough checks possible – the kind of checks which are necessary for anyone who is going to be entrusted with a great responsibility.

We carry out in-depth background searches at local, state and national level. We typically dig up the person’s records for the past seven years. If a charity requires us to go back further, we can do that as well. Every red flag raised is investigated thoroughly to ensure that the background checking report is as accurate as possible.

One of the core features helpful for charities is our automated submission process. This enables a charity to submit multiple candidates for background checks at once. This saves them the time which would have otherwise have been spent on single submissions.

We also provide a simple way for the charity to monitor and track the progress of the background checks. Essentially, we free the charity from having to waste precious time on the background checks. They can devote their time on their activities.

The services we offer charities include:

• Criminal Background Searches
• Employment Verification
• Education Verification
• Due Diligence Checks

Each service is carried out according to the FCRA regulations. We also customize the services according to the unique needs of a charity. Ultimately, we enable a charity to get the best background checks possible.

Camps

For organizations which organize, run or facilitate camps, background checks are essential for ensuring that they recruit trustworthy individuals. Since the camps often involve children and teenagers – with some including sleepovers, the checks are essential for guaranteeing the safety of campers.

Most camps also have an element of empowerment, life-skills development or inspiration. As such, the individuals involved need to have a steady character and strong ethical background. The best way of guaranteeing this is through extensive background checks.

Crimcheck has one of the best background checks for organizations which deal with camps. Our checks are so thorough that we are an affiliate of the American Camp Association (www.acacamps.org).

Our camps package is designed to meet the unique needs of organizations which provide camp-related services. For instance, we provide a service called Applicant Pay which enables applicants to pay for their own background checks. This comes in handy for recruiting coaches, mentors or experts to facilitate camping activities. It enables such people to pay for their own checks, thus saving an organization the hustle of doing so.

Our package includes a list of services including:

• Criminal Background Checks
• Drug Testing
• Sexual Offender Searches
• Driving Record Searches

As an NAPBS accredited company, all our services are carried out to the highest industry standards. This includes accuracy, compliance, professionalism and value-for-money. Ultimately, we make it easy for organizations to hire individuals with whom they can entrust the safety of children and youth during camping expeditions.

Rotary’s

The Rotary Club is renowned not just for its range of charitable activities, but for crystal-clear set of standards. Rotarians are supposed to display a certain set of qualities such as service, goodwill, strong ethical standards, concern for people and fellowship.

Unfortunately, these qualities don’t come by default. Given the Rotary Club’s attractiveness, not every one who joins will espouse its values. As such, it is necessary to sieve out certain individuals – especially those who will be entrusted with leadership positions. This is where background checks come in handy.

Crimcheck offers specialized background checks for local chapters of the Rotary Club. These checks are specifically designed around Rotary’s core values. The service is also designed to fit the unique characteristics of The Rotary Club.

Given that Rotary Clubs seldom have offices, every aspect of the background checks is handled online. We have an Applicant Link system through which individuals on whom the background checks are to be carried out can submit their own details online. Given that Rotarians are typically professionals, this simplifies things for everybody.

We also have an Applicant Pay system through which the individuals can pay for their own background checks. This eliminates the hustle of having to appoint someone to handle background checking payments. The entire process is simple, direct and stress-free.

Despite being carried out online, the background checks are carried out according to FCRA regulations. In fact, Crimcheck can even undertake to send the adverse notifications on behalf of the Rotary Club. This reduces the risk of any FCRA violations.

The package which we offer to Rotary Clubs includes the following services:

• Criminal Background Checks
• Education Verifications
• Sexual Offender Searches
• Driving Record Searches
• Employment Verification

Ultimately, our service makes it easier for chapter of the Rotary Club to choose leaders whose track record is at par with the club’s values, vision and aspirations.

YMCA’s

The YMCA is renowned for its extensive work with young people across a range of spheres including education, health, family, community support and accommodation. Given its Christian background, YMCAs need to recruit individuals who espouse its values. This is where background checks come in handy.

Crimcheck provides a background checking service which is specifically designed for YMCAs. This service takes into consideration the fact that most people who work with YMCAs are volunteers. As such, it provides a way for the associations to carry out background checks without inconveniencing the would-be volunteers.

At the core of the service is the Applicant Link system which enables prospective employees or volunteers to submit their background checking details online. This saves applicants the hustle of traveling to the YMCAs offices to fill in the forms. It also saves the YMCA from the trouble of dealing with paperwork.

The service carries out background checks at local, state, national and even international level. This comes in handy because, given its international outreach; YMCAs sometimes receive volunteers from other countries. Such background checks ensure that irrespective of where the person is coming from, their background can be thoroughly investigated.

The YMCA background checking service involves a number of checks including:

• Criminal Background Checks
• Sexual Offender Searches
• Driving Record Searches
• Drug Testing

All these are carried out according to FCRA guidelines. Where checks are carried out in jurisdictions outside the FCRA (e.g. countries outside the US), they are carried out according to the legislative requirements in those jurisdictions.

Zoological Societies

Anyone who works for a zoological society essentially becomes an ambassador for animal conservation. This is because part of their role is inspiring other people to support conservation efforts. This means that such people need to be of impeccable character and strong ethics. Hiring the wrong person can hurt the goals of a zoological society. This is where background checks come in handy.

Crimcheck is committed towards helping zoological societies to recruit people who espouse their values. We do this through providing them with a background checking service which is dedicated towards such societies.

We provide an online platform through which a zoological society can initiate, submit, monitor and receive background check reports. This makes carrying out the checks easy because it saves the organization from any paperwork.

Through the Applicant Link system, prospective applicant can submit their own background information. This is convenient for both the society and the individual. The system is especially helpful if a zoological society wants to partner with individuals from other states or other countries. It can carry out background checks on them quite easily.

The service which we offer zoological societies include:

• Criminal Background Checks
• Sexual Offender Searches
• Driving Record Searches

These are carried out at local, state, national or international levels – depending on the needs of a zoological society. All our checks are carried out in strict observance of the FCRA and other relevant legislations. Ultimately, the background checks which we offer zoological societies are exhaustive, professional and legally compliant.