Free volunteer
background check.

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal for a church to run background checks on volunteers?

Yes. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) permits nonprofit and religious organizations to run background checks on volunteers when there is a legitimate duty of care — such as working with children, youth, or vulnerable adults. The volunteer must be informed that a check may be conducted, and the organization must certify permissible purpose before running the report.

What is an SSN address history trace?

An SSN trace (also called address history) uses a person's Social Security Number to verify their identity and return a list of addresses they have lived at over time. It confirms the volunteer is who they say they are and provides the address history needed to run a complete criminal background check in each jurisdiction where they have lived.

What does the free report include?

The free SSN address history report includes all addresses associated with the volunteer's Social Security Number, the state and approximate year the SSN was issued, and whether the SSN appears in any death index. Screening is run by VolunteerBadge, HolyJot's sister product. Create a free VolunteerBadge account to unlock the full report. An optional national criminal background check is available for $5.

Who runs the screening, and is the SSN secure?

Screening is handled by VolunteerBadge, a sister product built by the same team as HolyJot. The SSN is transmitted over HTTPS, used only to run the SSN trace query, and is never stored by HolyJot. Searches are processed through a consumer reporting agency that has obtained its FCRA Certificate from the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA) and services law enforcement, nonprofits, and background screening companies.

What is the $5 national criminal check?

For $5, VolunteerBadge runs an FCRA-compliant national criminal background check covering county, state, and national criminal databases across all 50 states. The search is not limited to a fixed lookback window. A clear search can complete in minutes; if it surfaces a possible record, a trained reviewer examines it before anything is released (typically within 3 business days). Clear reports exclude non-conviction items — arrests, warrants, dismissed cases, and records older than seven years — following the FCRA handling standard for non-convictions.

Can a volunteer get their own background check?

Yes. Individuals can run their own check through VolunteerBadge and keep the result as a portable credential they share with any church, school, or nonprofit they serve — instead of starting a new screening process at every organization.