Katie Zwetzig, Executive Director of Verified Volunteers | February 16, 2017

Nonprofit Blueprint for Improved Volunteer Recruitment and Screening in 2017

Whether your nonprofit organization鈥檚 volunteers serve on your premises, at an offsite location, or remotely, it鈥檚 important to make sure you are working with volunteers who have the best interest of your constituents in mind 鈥 and who are helping you work toward your organization鈥檚 mission.听 By working with a qualified screening provider like 精东影业鈥檚 Charities鈥 partner, Verified Volunteers, you can easily dot your I鈥檚 and cross your t鈥檚 to ensure volunteers pose no risk to your organization.

To improve your nonprofit鈥檚 volunteer recruitment strategy and community outreach plans, consider these five findings from Verified Volunteers鈥櫶溾:

1. Volunteer Numbers Are Growing

Retiring Baby Boomers with time on their hands began to swell the volunteer market a decade or so ago. That fact, coupled with a new generation of socially conscious Millennials, has brought new emphasis to volunteerism in recent years. Although staffing is a perpetual challenge for nonprofits and helping organizations, the organizations that use volunteers are using more of them.Volunteer Numbers Are Growing

2. Training Programs for Volunteers Are on the Rise

As the range and complexity of volunteer opportunities increases, training becomes important to a wider range of volunteer positions. Formal training has benefits beyond the obvious; it establishes standards of competency; brands the organization as not only caring but capable; and quickly lets new volunteers know what will be required of them.Training Programs for Volunteers Are on the Rise

3. More Organizations Are Serving Vulnerable Populations

Vulnerable populations include the economically disadvantaged, racial and ethnic minorities, children from low-income families, the elderly, the homeless, the uninsured, and those with chronic health conditions, including severe mental illness.More Organizations Are Serving Vulnerable Populations

4. Challenges in Volunteer Screening Are Changing

Despite the fact that organizations are spending more on individual volunteer background checks, such checks are not their biggest expense. Rather, staffing鈥攔ecruiting and retaining qualified staff in an economy in which there is a 鈥渨ar for talent鈥濃攈as replaced background screening as the most costly item for most organizations.Challenges in Volunteer Screening Are Changing

5. More Organizations Expect to do More Volunteer Background Checks

More than ever, organizations that serve the public, and especially a vulnerable public, want to know and have confidence in their volunteers. In most cases, none are decreasing the number of checks they perform, and far fewer organizations are 鈥渟taying the same鈥 in terms of checks.More Organizations Expect to do More Volunteer Background Checks


Upcoming Verified Volunteers Webinars:

Available now:听

April 13, 2017:

May 11, 2017:

June 15, 2017:

精东影业鈥檚 Charities member discount

As a benefit of being an 精东影业鈥檚 Charities nonprofit member:

  • Your organization is eligible for a 20% discount on Verified Volunteers鈥 vetting services (with no setup or annual fees), enabling your organization to vet volunteers more safely, easily, and cost-effectively.
  • You will also benefit from Verified Volunteers鈥 free volunteer management software. Hosted in the cloud, the volunteer tracking tools, filters and reminders help to significantly reduce administrative time.听 Verified Volunteers’ programs save 13 minutes on average per onboarded volunteer.

Click here to learn more and start taking advantage of this incredible benefit.

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Explore More Articles

February is Marfan Awareness Month!

February 3, 2025

Marfan syndrome affects an estimated 1 in 5,000 people regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender, and experts estimate听that nearly half the people who have Marfan…

Read Article

February is Cancer Prevention Month

February 3, 2025

A substantial proportion of cancers could be prevented, including all cancers caused by tobacco use and other unhealthy behaviors. Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, at least…

Read Article

Celebrating the Agents of Change this Black History Month

February 3, 2025

During Black History Month, which takes place each year during the month of February, there is much to celebrate about the past achievements and impact…

Read Article

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.

newsletter-mock