Free · Certificate included
Risk-Based Screening Decisions
Match screening depth to the real risk of the role — and make every decision fair, consistent, and defensible.
What you’ll learn
- Match the depth of a background check to the actual risk of each volunteer role — access to children, money, keys, or driving
- Read a background-check result correctly: arrests vs. convictions, possible matches, and recency
- Run an EEOC-style individualized assessment using the nature-time-nature factors instead of a blanket ban
- Document decisions and apply fair, consistent adverse action so similar records get similar outcomes
Screen your volunteers for $5
VolunteerBadge runs FCRA-compliant background checks for just $5 — with identity verification built in. No monthly fees, no contracts.
Create a free account →Course outline
- 1
Why one-size-fits-all screening fails
You wouldn’t screen a one-time park-cleanup volunteer the same way you’d screen a youth mentor who drives kids to games.
5 min Quiz Interactive - 2
Matching check depth to the role
Once you’ve named the risk, the right checks usually follow.
6 min Quiz Interactive - 3
Reading a background-check result
A result is information, not a verdict. Before you decide anything, you have to read the report correctly — and the single most important distinction is between an…
6 min Quiz Interactive - 4
The individualized assessment
When a relevant record appears, the EEOC encourages an individualized assessment rather than a mechanical "any record = no." The backbone of that assessment is a…
7 min Quiz Interactive - 5
Avoiding blanket bans
A blanket ban — "we reject anyone with any criminal record" — feels safe but is one of the riskiest policies you can adopt.
5 min Quiz Interactive - 6
Documenting decisions & fair adverse action
A good decision that isn’t documented is, from a legal standpoint, almost as exposed as a bad one.
6 min Quiz Interactive - 7
Decision Simulator: three volunteers
Let’s put the whole framework together. Three volunteers, three roles, three results. Make the risk-based call on each.
5 min Interactive
Sources & further reading
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records (Title VII)
- Nonprofit Risk Management Center — Background Screening for Nonprofits: What to Consider
- SHRM — How to Conduct Individualized Assessments in Background Checks
- Federal Trade Commission — Using Consumer Reports: What Employers Need to Know
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