The Importance of Employee Screening for Nonprofits

Recently a Cincinnati nonprofit that teaches children hired a volunteer without doing an employment background check.  It turns out the volunteer is a Tier III sex offender – the most dangerous kind.  A Tier III sex offender is required to register every 90 days for life.   The nonprofit only did background checks on the full time staff and not the volunteers.

It is an industry best practice to thoroughly screen all applicants for employment and volunteer positions at nonprofits.

A recent study of nonprofit organizations revealed these key findings:

• Each day 144 individuals with criminal records applied for employment or a volunteer position with a non profit.
• Every 11.5 hours, a registered sex offender attempted to obtain a position at a nonprofit.