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Volunteers

Onboarding: Screening Phase

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Once we receive their volunteer application, the real work begins. This is where we will screen the applicant by collecting two reference checks, a background check (if they are 18 and older) and interview them to determine if they are safe and healthy. Remember, we are the gatekeepers of our kids ministry and it's our job to make sure that the people we allow our kids to interact with are safe people.

Process Queues (Screening Phase)

Check out the section below to see an overview of all the Process Queues for new volunteers and which ones are part of the Screening Phase.

Name of Process Queue

How did they end up in this Queue?

What am I supposed to do in this step?

Welcome Email

Someone signed up for your team online at move.sc/teams.

Send them a Welcome Email with a link to the full volunteer application.

2nd Follow Up

Someone has not completed their volunteer application yet.

Send them a Reminder Email with a link to complete the full application.

3rd Follow Up

Someone has not completed their volunteer application yet.

Shoot them a text or give them a call to see if they are still interested in joining your team. If not, remove them from the Queue.

Application Received

Someone has completed the full volunteer application.

Review their application to see if there are any red flags and, if not, move them to the next Queue (Reference Checks).

Reference Checks

Someone has completed the full volunteer application.

Look up the references they listed in their application and send them an email with a link to complete a quick Reference Check form. Once completed, review the references to see if there are any red flags and, if not, move them to the next Queue (Background Check).

Background Check

Someone has completed the full volunteer application.

There is a designated person at each campus who runs all background checks. Once they receive the results, they will notify you if the applicant can proceed or not.

Interview

Someone has been cleared through Reference Checks and a Background Check.

Send them an email inviting them to come in for an Interview. You (or a team leader) will interview the applicant to determine if they are safe and healthy.

Orientation

Someone has passed their Interview.

Invite them to an in person Orientation where you (or a team leader) prepares them for their new role.

Joined the Team

Someone has completed the onboarding process and decided to join your team.

Did Not Join the Team

Someone decided not to join your team or was not approved.

There are no rows in this table

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Background Checks

Before we allow a potential volunteer to serve with minors, we will run a Background Check* and two Reference Checks to ensure that they are safe and can be trusted around our kids.

*Background Checks are only necessary for adults 18 and up. If a minor signs up for our team, we will skip the Background Check step. If they begin serving and later turn 18, we will run their Background Check at that point in time.

WHEN TO RUN A BACKGROUND CHECK

During the Screening phase, once a potential volunteer has completed their Volunteer Application.

HOW TO RUN A BACKGROUND CHECK

Add the applicant to the Background Check Process Queue. (See instructions below.)

In their current Process Queue, click the checkbox next to their name and then click “Mark as Done”. From the new menu (see below), make sure the checkbox next to “Ordered Background Check” is checked and select the dropdown menu to assign it to the person at your campus who is responsible for running and processing Background Checks. Then click “Mark as Done”.

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Once you add someone to the Background Check Process Queue the staff person at your campus responsible for Background Checks will be notified and will begin the Background Check process. They will notify you of the results as they come in.

If the applicant is approved, add them to the next Process Queue and proceed.

If the applicant is not approved, connect with your Campus Pastor to determine the most appropriate way to communicate the news to the applicant.

Reference Checks

Before we allow a potential volunteer to serve with minors, we will run a Background Check and two Reference Checks to ensure that they are safe and can be trusted around our kids.

WHEN TO RUN A REFERENCE CHECK

During the Screening phase, once a potential volunteer has completed their Volunteer Application.

HOW TO RUN A REFERENCE CHECK

Look up the names and contact info of the references listed in the Volunteer Application.

Send an email to each reference separately and invite them to fill out a short form. You can use the email template

here⁠

Once they have completed the Reference Check form in CCB, review the results to determine if the potential volunteer is approved or not.

If there’s anything questionable on either of their Reference Checks, connect with your Campus Pastor to decide if this person should be allowed to serve and, if not, how this should be communicated to the applicant.

Facilitating an Interview

As a leader in kids ministry, one of the most critical functions of your role is that of a gatekeeper. It is your responsibility to create a safe environment for kids and that starts with WHO you allow to be around them. In this section you'll learn how to have a one-on-one interview with a potential volunteer to assess whether they are safe and healthy.

Everyone who signs up for our kids ministry team will be background checked and reference checked. If they clear those preliminary safety checks, they will be invited to an in-person interview. This is a chance for us to verify that they are safe to be around kids and spiritually healthy to speak truth into the lives of our kids.

1. Get to know them. This may be one of the only opportunities you have to sit down one-on-one with the people on your team. Take advantage of the opportunity by getting to know the person sitting across from you.

PRO TIP: It usually works best when you interview people who are the same gender as you. If that’s not possible, make sure you find a place to chat that is visible enough to other people but enough out of the way to have an open conversation without worrying about being overheard, such as the Depot.

2. Determine if they are safe and healthy. The entire purpose of the interview is to make sure the person is safe and healthy. We are responsible for the safety of our kids and one of the most important ways we do that is by acting as the gatekeepers for who is allowed to be around them. Not everyone who passes a background check is safe enough to entrust with our kids. Not everyone who follows Jesus is in an emotionally and spiritually healthy place to speak truth into a kids life. It is ok to say “no” and it is ok to say “not right now”.

The

Interview Notes Sheet⁠

will be your best friend as you facilitate this interview. It will give you all of the questions you need to ask. It is designed for flow and functionality. We start with easy questions and work our way up to more personal questions so that when the time comes, they will feel more comfortable opening up. We also created it with lots of checkboxes so that you can quickly mark things off and be more focused on the person in front of you than jotting down a bunch of notes.

Upon successfully completing an interview, we will give new volunteers an Orientation to cover all of the things they’ll need to know to be a part of our kids ministry team.

Go to the next section:

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Onboarding: Approval Phase⁠

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