March 23, 2015 | Read Time: 4 minutes
Pre-employment background checks are the norm at many businesses, and the practice should be no different for charitable organizations.
Fundraising operations are a particularly sensitive area because staff members have access to personal information on donors, like addresses and financial information, which is highly prized by data thieves.
“Because of the exposure that exists to an organization when it comes to fundraising, we recommend a robust background screening,” says Dennis Sawyers, managing director of talent acquisition at Nonprofit HR Solutions, a human-resources consulting firm.
That process should include looking into any federal, state, or local criminal history and performing a credit check, say Mr. Sawyers and other human-resources professionals.
Every prospective employee of the American Red Cross, for example, is subject to a criminal-history check over seven years, a search of the sex-offender registry, and verification of previous employment, says Carol Robinette, the group’s vice president of talent acquisition.
That policy helps the organization ensure that its staff members have credibility, trust, and integrity, Ms. Robinette says.
“We’d want to make sure that folks that we bring on board as employees have a background that supports those values,” she says.
Policies vary at large organizations like the Red Cross, the American Heart Association, and Habitat for Humanity, but the basic screening process is similar.
Those organizations shared some of their tips for conducting background checks:
Hire a Firm to Screen Your Candidates
Using a respected third-party search company to do a comprehensive screening may be the best approach, even for smaller organizations with tight budgets.
The American Heart Association uses a third-party provider to verify education and previous employment of a candidate and to conduct a criminal-background check, including a review for sexual offenses. The intent is to validate the information a candidate provides during the recruitment process, says Katherine Neverdousky, the organization’s vice president of human resources and corporate learning.
“Our fundraisers have an important responsibility to interact with the public in order to educate others about heart disease and stroke, as well as receive donations on the behalf of the organization,” Ms. Neverdousky says. “This is a responsibility we take very seriously.”
Be Transparent About the Process
Mr. Sawyers recommends that organizations have a formal policy for candidates to sign off on background checks in advance.
“We are fully informing candidates of what is being done in terms of our robust or comprehensive background check so they don’t feel that in some way, our approach is invasive in a way that was not explained to them up front,” Mr. Sawyers says.
At Habitat for Humanity International, all prospective staff members are required to undergo a thorough background check as a condition of employment. Permission is required before the organization’s vendor conducts the search.
“Our donors place a great deal of trust in us when they decide to support Habitat for Humanity, and our HR practices should be a reflection of that trust,” says Jae Early, senior director of human resources for the charity.
Be Consistent and Ask for Explanations
If an organization has policies on what kind of negative information will disqualify a candidate, those guidelines should be applied consistently to avoid accusations of discrimination, Mr. Sawyers says.
It’s also important to give candidates a chance to explain potentially damaging information revealed in a background check.
At the American Red Cross, for example, each background check is evaluated individually. If something stands out, hiring officials ask the applicant to explain the circumstances, and the nonprofit makes a decision in relation to specific job duties, says Ms. Robinette.
Don’t Ignore Financial History
Any financial crimes that turn up in a background check are an obvious problem, but even some noncriminal factors should raise red flags. “Things like judgments and bankruptcies and so forth—they have an impact,” Mr. Saywers says.
Still, he says, the applicant should have an opportunity to explain any negative information.
Consider Checking Social-Media Accounts
Whether to search an applicant’s social-media practices is a topic of debate among human-resources managers.
The American Red Cross has chosen not to consider a candidate’s social-media presence, Ms. Robinette says, “primarily due to the unverified nature of the information.”
Nonprofit HR Solutions recommends reviewing social-media use, and does so for its own clients, as a piece of the puzzle in establishing an individual’s credibility, Mr. Sawyers says.
“We are trying to ensure hiring someone who has a good and solid reputation in the marketplace, and you can see that in social-media searches,” he says.
Mr. Sawyers also recommends that hiring managers conduct a rigorous reference check, which may require going beyond the three or four names provided by the candidate.
What is your advice for background checks on fundraising candidates? Share it below.
