Why It's Necessary to Legally Hire Volunteers

Most of the time, volunteers work with kids, elders, and other persons who are weak. If churches don't have clear and legally sound onboarding, they could face the following:

• If volunteers damaged someone, they might be sued for hiring someone who was careless.
• Responsibility for abuse, harassment, or discrimination that happens.
• Lawsuits due to unclear roles, expectations, or breaking the rules.
• Violating the regulations for employees and nonprofits.

Legal onboarding is more than simply keeping your church safe; it's also a method for your church to show that it cares about being honest and a good steward.

Step 1: Make Sure Volunteers Know Exactly What Their Jobs Are

Well-written role descriptions make things obvious and set expectations:

• Set duties and responsibilities: Make sure the volunteer knows what they are supposed to do and what they can do.
• Write down the qualifications: Include skills, expertise, and any legal limits, such as age limits or credentials.
• Outline time commitments: Let volunteers know how often and for how long they will be required to work.
• Set limits: Make it clear what volunteers can and can't do to decrease the risks of role confusion.

Step 2: Fill Out a Full Application for Volunteers

The application is a very significant way to check folks out:

• Get personal details including name, phone number, and emergency contacts.
• Learn some background information: Learn about any criminal history disclosures, relevant skills, and past volunteer activity.
• Give consent for background checks and checking references.
• Questions concerning conflicts of interest: Look for probable issues that could make service worse.

Step 3: Check the Person's Background Very Carefully

Background checks are a big aspect in making sure that volunteers are safe:

• Criminal history: Checks at the state and national levels, including lists of sex offenders.
• Driving records: For persons who will be driving to church events.
• Regular rechecks: Set a time for re-screenings to find out what's new.
• Your screening needs to meet both federal laws, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and requirements that are specific to your state.

Step 4: Talk to Folks That Want to Help Out

Interviews provide us critical knowledge that papers can't:

• Structured interviews: To be fair, ask all candidates the same questions.
• Check their reasons for wanting to join: Make sure they agree with the church's values and the way the ministry works.
• Make sure to clear up any red flags: Check out any issues that come up in someone's application or background check before you hire them.
• Tell candidates what the ministry expects of them, what the standards of behavior are, and how to be safe.

Step 5: Make Sure the Agreements with the Volunteers Are Clear

A signed agreement makes the relationship real:

• Set clear roles and responsibilities: Talk about what each person is supposed to do.
• Confidentiality clauses: Protect private information about the ministry and its members.
• Set guidelines for behavior, such as making people report problems, in a code of conduct.
• Legal disclaimers: Make it clear that you are a volunteer and limit your liability when you can.
• Signatures: Make sure that both the church and the volunteer agree to the terms.

Step 6: Give a Lot of Training

Volunteers learn how to conduct their responsibilities safely and well through training:

• Know the signs of abuse, stay away from it, and tell someone if you have any concerns about protecting children and stopping abuse.
• To stop harassment, promote relationships that are safe and courteous.
• Emergency procedures: Be ready for medical emergencies, evacuations, and other problems that come up.
• Policy summary: Make sure that everyone learns about the church's rules and how to let them know if there is an issue.
• Finish the document: Keep a record of who came to training and how well they comprehended it.

Step 7: Watch Over Everything and Give Guidance

Oversight makes sure that ministry settings are safe:

• Designate supervisors: Each volunteer should have a leader who is in control and can make sure they do what they say they will do.
• Check in often: Ask for feedback and do performance reviews.
• Make it safe for volunteers to talk about their issues or seek help to encourage open communication.
• Enforcing the rules: Handle rule breaks right away and always impose the same punishment.

More Helpful and Legal Advice

• Stay current: Watch for changes to volunteer laws at the federal, state, and municipal levels.
• Keep detailed records: Keep copies of applications, background checks, contracts, training logs, and reports of incidents.
• Get legal help: Church law experts should check on volunteer activities and paperwork from time to time.
• Be open: Let church members and volunteers know what the rules are and what they need to do.
• Think about getting insurance: Check to see if your liability and volunteer accident insurance is enough to support the activities of your ministry.

To Sum Up

It is crucial for a ministry to be safe, honest, and follow the requirements to legally hire church volunteers. Churches decrease their risk, keep their communities safe, and provide volunteers the tools they need to serve with confidence and clarity by following set procedures from application to monitoring.

Links Inside

• Learn more about the laws that protect church volunteers.
• Find out if our church follows all the rules on hiring and human resources.
• Learn about church risk management and waivers of liability.

Links to Other Websites

• Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Compliance Guide
• National Council of Nonprofits – Volunteer Screening
• U.S. Department of Labor – Volunteer Rights and Protections

This blog post is intended for information and does not give legal advice. If you need help getting volunteers to join your church, talk to a lawyer who knows about church law.