Study Finds Troubling Gaps in Volunteer Screening by Nonprofits

One in three U.S. nonprofit organizations conducts no background checks on volunteers, and roughly one in eight does no screening at all, says a report released today by the National Center for Victims of Crime, the nation's leading advocacy group for crime victims. Although the majority of surveyed nonprofit human service organizations conduct some screening, most agencies that serve vulnerable populations could benefit from more thorough and comprehensive volunteer screening practices.

Who's Lending a Hand? A National Survey of Nonprofit Volunteer Screening Practices sought to identify the characteristics of organizations that regularly screen volunteers, the screening methods used, and the role of these screening results in organizational decision making. The urgency of such questions has risen in recent years, as millions of volunteers (61 million in 2006)(1) donate billions of hours, sometimes serving in roles previously reserved for paid staff. Thorough security practices, according to the National Center, play a critical role in protecting vulnerable clients from harm and nonprofit organizations from liability.

Update: Gun Dealer Aims Sale at Making People Safer

A Green Bay-based online gun dealer linked to deadly shooting rampages on two college campuses today announced he’ll sell guns at cost for two weeks in an effort to arm citizens and prevent future tragedies.

Eric Thompson said his company TGSCOM will offer guns to customers April 23 through May 7 for the same price he pays for them. That could mean a savings of $100 on a $500 gun purchase, he said.

Background-checks settlement would divvy up $20.7 million

A complaint about improper background checks at a Newport News call center has triggered a settlement exceeding $20 million with the company that owns the checking agency.

The lawsuit accused LexisNexis Risk Management Inc. of failing to give employees sufficient notice of problems it had uncovered and, later, of creating too many hurdles when workers requested reviews.

Trans Woman Can Sue

US District Judge Nancy F. Atlas in Houston has ruled that a transsexual Texan, Izza Lopez, can pursue a sex discrimination employment claim against River Oaks Imaging & Diagnostic Group.

Use Auto Refinancing to Ease the Family Budget
The sex discrimination claim is based in the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act.

School Background Checks

The Medford School District has an extensive background check process for prospective employees and volunteers. The district has a long list of crimes that cannot be on your record if you want to work for or volunteer in the district.

While the district demands applicants disclose their criminal history, Medford School District employee Susan Galpern says the district relies on police, the sheriff's office and the FBI for confirmation, "We run finger print checks on all of our employees, we have forms they fill out here that they take to the sheriffs department and those forms are sent to the state and the FBI."

Background Check Irritates Election Worker

As a city election official, Tom Fredericks Jr. says he doesn't have anything to hide.

Even so, he was irritated to learn that the city was going to perform a background check on him - and all election judges - prior to this May's school budget election.