Compliance services

Volunteer background checks for nonprofits and youth-serving organizations

Protect your organization and the people you serve with the same rigorous screening you use for employees, at volume-based pricing built for nonprofits, schools, churches, and community organizations.

Request volunteer screening (866) 440-0302

Nonprofit volume pricingPBSA member agencyFCRA-compliant process

Team members placing their hands together, representing volunteers working toward a shared cause

Catapult is licensed as a consumer reporting agency for employment, volunteer, and student screening.

Why it matters

Protect the people you serve

Volunteers work with vulnerable populations: children, elderly, patients, and community members. A single incident with an unscreened volunteer can result in catastrophic liability and irreparable harm.

Volunteers often have more access than staffA weekly volunteer may spend more unsupervised time with a child or a patient than a part-time employee does, frequently with less oversight and no manager watching.

The liability does not distinguishAn organization is exposed for the people acting on its behalf. Whether that person was paid rarely changes the exposure, and it never changes the harm.

Insurers and grantmakers increasingly askLiability carriers, licensing bodies, and funders commonly want to see a documented, consistent volunteer screening policy before they will write or renew.

Screening the same way protects everyoneApplying one standard to every volunteer removes the awkwardness of singling anyone out and gives you a defensible record if a placement is ever questioned.

Two colleagues sharing ideas in a modern office

Who we screen

Organizations that rely on volunteers

Catapult screens volunteers for organizations across the Carolinas and nationwide.

Nonprofits and community organizationsVolunteer coordinators, board members, event staff, and direct-service volunteers.

Schools and education programsClassroom helpers, field trip chaperones, tutors, and booster club volunteers.

Churches and faith communitiesChildrens ministry, youth group leaders, van drivers, and mission trip volunteers.

Youth sports and recreationCoaches, assistant coaches, team parents, and league officials.

Healthcare and hospice volunteersPatient-facing volunteers, often screened alongside FACIS Level 3 sanctions screening where the organization bills federal healthcare programs.

Senior services and mentoringIn-home visitors, meal delivery, companion programs, and one-to-one mentors.

What is included

What a volunteer background check covers

The same rigor as employee screening. You choose the package depth based on the level of access the volunteer role carries.

National and state criminal database searches

Broad multi-jurisdiction database coverage used as a pointer to records that then get confirmed at the source.

Sex offender registry checks

National sex offender registry screening, which is the baseline expectation for any role involving children or vulnerable adults.

County court record searches

Direct county-level searches, which is where criminal records actually live and where database hits get verified before anything is reported.

Identity and address history

Establishes which names and jurisdictions to search, so the criminal search is pointed at the right places.

Driving records where volunteers drive

For van drivers, field trip drivers, and delivery volunteers. See MVR monitoring for ongoing coverage.

Reference checks for direct-service roles

Structured reference interviews where a volunteer will work one-to-one with a vulnerable person.

Nonprofit pricing

Volume-based pricing built for limited budgets

Volunteer screening is priced on volume for nonprofits, schools, churches, and community organizations. Because volunteer programs run in seasonal waves, pricing is set against your annual volume rather than the size of any single batch.

Scaled to your annual volume

A 40-volunteer program and a 900-volunteer program should not pay the same per-check rate. Tell us your realistic yearly count and we will quote against it.

Package depth is your call

A board member and a one-to-one youth mentor do not need identical packages. You can run more than one tier and pay accordingly.

No cost for seasonal gaps

Screening volume that arrives in two annual surges is normal for volunteer programs and does not need to be smoothed out to get a rate.

Volunteer screening is quoted per organization. Request a quote with your approximate annual volunteer count and the roles you need covered.

Process

How volunteer screening works

Set your policyDecide which volunteer roles get which package. We will work from the access level each role carries rather than screening everyone identically by default.

Volunteers are invited onlineEach volunteer receives a secure link to provide their information and sign the required FCRA disclosure and authorization. No paper forms to collect and store.

We run the searchesDatabase hits are confirmed at the county source before anything appears on a report, so you are not acting on an unverified match.

You get a clear resultA written report you can act on, with a documented record for your files, your insurer, and your funders.

Compliance

Volunteer screening is regulated screening

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act applies to volunteer background checks run through a consumer reporting agency, and many organizations do not realize it.

Disclosure and authorization are requiredBefore a check is run, the volunteer must receive a standalone written disclosure and give written authorization. Burying it inside a volunteer application form is a common and avoidable mistake.

Adverse action applies to volunteers tooIf you decline a volunteer based on the report, the FCRA pre-adverse and adverse action process applies, including giving them a copy of the report and a chance to dispute it.

State and program rules sit on topYouth-serving programs, licensed childcare, and healthcare volunteers frequently carry additional state or funder screening requirements beyond the federal baseline.

Catapult is licensed for volunteer screening specificallyCatapult Services Corporation is a consumer reporting agency licensed to supply screening for employment, volunteer, and student screening. That scope is stated in our licensing disclosure at the bottom of this page.

FAQs

Volunteer screening questions

Do volunteers really need background checks?

If a volunteer has access to children, elderly people, patients, vulnerable adults, money, or private data, they should be screened. Many liability carriers, licensing bodies, and grant funders now require a documented volunteer screening policy as a condition of coverage or funding.

Does the FCRA apply to volunteer background checks?

Yes. When a consumer reporting agency runs the check, the report is a consumer report under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act even though the volunteer is unpaid. Disclosure, written authorization, and the adverse action process all apply. Catapult is licensed as a consumer reporting agency for volunteer screening specifically.

What does a volunteer background check include?

At minimum, identity confirmation, national and state criminal database searches, sex offender registry screening, and county court record verification. Roles involving driving add a motor vehicle record. Direct-service roles with vulnerable people often add structured reference checks.

How much do volunteer background checks cost?

Volunteer screening is priced on volume for nonprofits, schools, churches, and community organizations, and is quoted per organization rather than published as a flat rate. Request a quote with your approximate annual volunteer count and the roles you need covered.

How long does a volunteer background check take?

Most volunteer packages come back quickly, though county court searches can add time depending on the jurisdiction and how that court makes its records available. Online ordering means the clock starts as soon as the volunteer completes their portion.

Can we screen volunteers who work with children?

Yes, and these are the roles where screening matters most. Packages for youth-serving roles typically pair criminal and county searches with national sex offender registry screening. Check whether your state, licensing body, or funder imposes additional requirements on top of the federal baseline.

Do we need to re-screen returning volunteers?

A background check reflects the day it was run. Many organizations re-screen annually, and some use continuous criminal monitoring instead, which alerts you to a new arrest between screenings rather than waiting for the next cycle.

Can volunteers complete this without coming to our office?

Yes. Volunteers receive a secure link, provide their own information, and sign the required disclosure and authorization electronically.

Catapult is a proud member of the Professional Background Screening Association, upholding the highest standards of accuracy, compliance, and consumer protection in background screening.

Screening services

Related screening services

Most employers combine several of these into one screening package.

Pre-employment screening→FACIS Level 3 healthcare screening→Continuous criminal monitoring→Employment history verification→Education verification→Professional reference checks→MVR monitoring & driver screening→Military service verification→Paperless I-9 verification→I-9 audit & remediation→Drug screening services→Background check pricing→Professional license verification→Name and SSN verification→Credit history checks→

Screen your volunteers

The same rigor as employee screening, at nonprofit-friendly pricing. Tell us your annual volume and the roles you need covered.

Request volunteer screening (866) 440-0302

*Catapult Services Corporation is an investigative agency licensed by the Private Protective Services Board of the State of North Carolina specializing in corporate pre-employment background screening. Our corporate agency license is BPN 001473P11M, Qualify Agent, Kevin von der Lippe, PI, 2891. Catapult Services Corporation is a consumer reporting agency that supplies applicant screening services for employment, volunteer and student screening, to authorized organizations under the conditions of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Human Trafficking

If you feel you are a victim of Human Trafficking, click on this link to learn more about your rights as it relates to your background screening report.

Personal Information Disclosure: United States or Overseas

Personal information submitted to Catapult Services Corporation for background screening is not transferred to third parties outside of the United States or its territories unless the completion of a background report about the person requires gathering information about that person from outside the United States (ex. international criminal check, verification of employment records outside the United States or verification of education records outside the United States.) All personal information will be transmitted and stored in a secure manner in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.

Summer MiltonBackground Screening Specialist

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