How Much is a Volunteer Background Check?

With a quick Google search, you will find background check prices starting at $8 or so. Two more quick searches, and they can jump up to $40, or even $50 per check. If your organization is on a tight budget, you will be tempted to purchase the $8 check and call it a day. So, now your question is answered. I can pay anywhere from $8 to over $50. I’ll call it a day and sign up for the cheap one. Well, that was easy.   

Well, maybe not. Some questions come to mind, don’t they? What does this eight dollar background check actually search?  Probably not much. What do I need from my background check?  Really good question. Will this help keep my organization safe? Now you are getting somewhere.   

For the first question, what is actually in an eight dollar search?  Most basic searches will check name, address, National Criminal Database, and the National Sex Offender registry. If your eight dollar check does not include a social security number verification, you may want to think about going somewhere else...fast. This search is not going to find much useful information, which will in turn, set up your organization for a world of hurt if something happens. That will be another blog post for another time. 

A colleague of mine wrote a really good, quick guide to help better understand what a background check should search. I would recommend starting here for an easy guide to better understand what a background check should include.

The people or groups you are serving will determine much of what is needed in your background check. If a volunteer in your organization is serving children, you will most definitely need to get to the county level of your search and possibly add a federal search as well. If your volunteers will be driving vehicles for your organization, a Motor Vehicle Report will need to be added as it searches all driving records. Each additional search you add will determine the cost of your actual background check. The nice thing is, you can add or delete searches to match where your volunteer will be serving. 

The cost is an important issue, and I believe you can find a very deep, well-rounded background check at an affordable price while doing all you can to protect your organization. You may want to give this podcast a listen. SafeHiring Solutions’ CEO, Mike McCarty, speaks on sharing the truth about church background checks.  

Will this help in keeping my organization safe? Yes, and more. By educating yourself on what you need and finding a good background check company that will educate you,  your organization will be in a better position to flourish and serve. By finding a good security company to partner with, you are not only protecting your organization, but also your volunteers and those you will be serving.   

At SafeMinistry, we believe a background check is needed to protect, but it is not a stand alone defense. At SafeMinistry Solutions, a SafeHiring Solutions company, we take a 360° security solutions approach to keeping an organization safe and on mission. We would love to educate you on all that we offer in helping ministries, nonprofits, and schools stay safe. If you have any questions, please reach out to us via email at sales@safehiringsolutions.com or give us a call at 866.434.0002.