Although using an application form may seem like a lot of work, or overly formal, it's essential. Choosing the wrong person for a volunteer position can cause lifelong trauma to a victim, emotionally and spiritually drain the congregation, ruin your church's reputation in the community, and dominate the life of your leaders. A volunteer employment application can help you avoid these disasters. Any application your church adopts should include the following elements: A description of the position in writing. There are many ambiguous areas in volunteer work. If a person makes the wrong decision, he or she could be putting the church at risk. Outline clearly what is expected of the volunteer. Clear selection or rejection procedures in writing. It's vital to be selective as you choose volunteers, but being selective may open the door to discrimination lawsuits. Put your selection or rejection criteria in writing. Vital information so full criminal searches and social traces can be researched. ChurchWorkersScreening.com recommends that you do background checks on any person who works with minors. Most local police departments and state bureaus of investigation will run a criminal records check within the state for about $10. Private nationwide screening companies will run interstate checks for approximately $50. Or contact a local daycare center and ask who handles its background checks. Applications should include: Ø date of birth Be sure to maintain confidentiality of all applications and records. Restrict access to these files to only a few individuals who legitimately need the information. After the application is completed, interview the candidate and contact every reference. It's also wise to ask people to regularly attend your church for six months before volunteering. This gives you a chance to get to know them. Finally, limit second chances. As Christians we want to be merciful, but giving a person a second chance in his or her area of weakness can open a church to a negligent-selection claim. A jury may see the second chance as gross negligence on the part of the church. Sources: Ø Richard R. Hammar, "Know Your Recruits," Leadership Journal, Spring 2000    Helping Volunteers Get Started Volunteer DevelopmentMake sure your volunteers get the training they need.  Recruiting & StaffingLearn recruiting skills that will fill the positions most needed in your church.
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