Volunteers Paying for Background Checks
A few entries back, we talked about entities background checking their employees, and how some opposed background checks as a violation of our civil rights. Out of 36 votes in our poll on the issue, 23 said a background check did not violate these rights.
Now, volunteer organizations are concerned about losing volunteers due to the process requiring the potential volunteers to pay for their own background checks. Depending on what type of checks are run, we have seen organizations charging volunteers anywhere from $20.00 to $80.00, with most checks among the lower range of this pricing scale.
The Calaveras County Animal Services in California is finding itself having to charge volunteers for their own background checks. In the past, it was routine for the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office to run the checks through the California Department of Justice, which charges $32.00. The Sheriff's Office has concluded that they no longer have the money to cover the checks due to the budget crisis in the state.
Volunteers are needed at the shelter to help feed, walk and care for the animals.
The Calaveras County Animal Services must recruit about a dozen new volunteers each year to replace those volunteers who quit or moved away. Debby Beaufort, a Calaveras County Human Society member is concerned that volunteers on low or fixed incomes might not choose to volunteer due to the $32.00 fee.
Labels: animal shelter, paying for background checks, volunteer screening
posted by JenWiehl @ 2:27 PM
10 Comments
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10 Comments:
That's a really tough choice for a lot of potential volunteers. Many of the people who have time to volunteer are on a fixed income, like the elderly. I would hate to think that they'd have to choose between food and volunteering. Maybe private corporations can sponsor the background checks...? Or maybe screening companies can offer a discount for NPOs.
Perhaps there is a background check company that would be willing to work with non-profits to give them better, more reasonable pricing on volunteer background checks. That would help the situation!
Volunteerism is very important to me and if that what is takes, I am all for it.
Discounts would be *great*. I voluteer with an NPO that hosts educational history events, and this is a hot topic at the moment. If you are on state park grounds (in CA) now, you're going to need to prove you can legally possess a weapon (like for military history events or sites) and that you don't have any one of a laundry list of misdemeanor or felony convictions. Some people in the NPO have disposable income, but a lot don't...
It is unfortunate that the volunteers are being asked to pay for their own background checks, but it is a necessity. Discounts for non profit companies is a great idea and would help everyone.
I feel that if I had the time to volunteer for a worthy cause and if I had the means to pay for the background check, I would. Now days it seems like we are getting taxed and asked to pay for many things we never did before. Sometimes it is hard to roll with the punches and it seems to be getting harder to do so.
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This is an interesting question. I voted yes because I have the resources to afford my own background check. If it was something I wanted to do and a charity I believed in then I feel that my expense just contributes to the greater good. However, many people volunteer time because that is all they can offer and could not afford such an expense. It would be nice if others with the income could "sponsor" (pay for) the background check of someone that cannot afford it.
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What about other donors to the organizations? Could that money be put towards that use?
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