Background checks are run through our partner Checkr. To begin, you'll receive an email from Checkr with a questionnaire to complete.
What is Checkr?
Checkr is the nation's largest and most trusted background check provider. Checkr runs screenings for tens of thousands of companies like Uber, Lyft, Netflix, Instacart, Kimpton Hotels, Doordash, PapaJohns, Airbnb, YMCAs and more.
Checkr is PBSA Accredited and has been named in the Forbes Cloud 100 for the past 5 years. Here's more about Checkr's mission.
A nonprofit can request different background check packages through Checkr such as Criminal background checks, Driving record (MVR) checks, Sex Offender Search, and more.
The Screening Process
Step 1: The nonprofit you applied to volunteer with will send you an invitation, most likely through email, prompting you to begin your background check. This email will be sent from Checkr. Upon receiving this email, click Start Background Check to begin the background check process.
If you are having trouble finding the email, be sure to check your Spam folder before reaching out to the nonprofit you applied with.
Step 2: You will need to submit your personally identifiable information (PII) to Checkr in the questionnaire. This includes:
- Full name (including middle name)
- Date of birth
- Social Security Number
- Current zip code
- Phone number
- Email address
Depending on the role, event, or shift you are registering for, you may be asked to provide additional information, like your driver’s license, highest degree earned, or passport number. Checkr cannot accept an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). If you don't have an SSN, please contact the company you are applying to.
Note: The Checkr questionnaire will use the term "for employment purposes" when stating why the check has been requested. Unfortunately, these disclosures and authorizations are regulated by government entities, and although individuals may be completing a background check only for volunteer work - changes to Standalone Disclosure Language are not possible.
Over 1,000+ nonprofits have used this form and the language in this disclosure has not notably affected the registration outcomes in any prior instance.
Step 3: Wait. The industry average turnaround time for most background checks is between 3-5 business days but can take longer than estimated, depending on the depth of the search, the geographical location of candidates, or county courthouse operations.
Most database-related searches (for example, SSN Trace or National Criminal Records Check) are completed within a few seconds because those records are typically available electronically/online.
More comprehensive or other types of searches generally take longer. For example, a county records search in a jurisdiction where assistance from a court clerk is required can take several days or even weeks if the court is experiencing backlogs or delays in assisting to complete a search. Or a search that requires validating information that is not available online, such as an education or employment verification that requires contacting an individual or an organization, may take a few days or even longer to receive the results.
Keep an eye out for emails from Checkr requesting additional information or actions; these could include:
- Invitations
- BGC Progress Emails (processing and completed)
- Exception Emails
- Health Screenings Emails
- Candidate Story
- Adverse Action
- Expungements
- International
Background Check Status Types:
Remember, on POINT, background checks are nonprofit-specific.
What does that mean for a volunteer?
When a nonprofit invites you to complete a background check, only that nonprofit can review your background check results, and those results are not shared with any other entity. Your background check results are securely run and stored in Checkr, POINT's background check partner.
Each nonprofit has its own decision-making process for background check reviews. Meaning each nonprofit can decide what it means to "Pass" a background check and how long that background check is good for.
The status of your background check (such as: pending, in-review, verified, or declined) may be shared with an organization co-hosting an event you've signup for or a company or organization on POINT you have joined. But, again, the results are only shared with the requesting nonprofit. Additionally your screening reports are not stored in POINT and only in Checkr.
If you want to volunteer for another nonprofit on POINT, you may be asked to complete another background check for that organization.
What does that mean for a nonprofit?
With nonprofit-specific background checks, nonprofits have complete transparency to build trust and safety in their organization.
Nonprofits can request the type of background check they need for their organization (not all background checks are the same).
Each nonprofit has its own decision-making process for background check reviews. They decide how they use the results of a background check report in order to decide who may volunteer for their organization.