What's new
Product updates
New features, improvements, and fixes — what we've shipped to make volunteer screening faster and safer.
- Improved
Accessibility commitment & clearer keyboard focus
We published an Accessibility Statement (volunteerbadge.com/accessibility) committing VolunteerBadge to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, and shipped a site-wide, always-visible keyboard-focus indicator so people navigating without a mouse can always see where they are. Reduced-motion preferences are honored throughout. Spot a barrier? Email support@screenforgelabs.com — accessibility is ongoing work for us.
- Improved
A clearer dashboard: Recruit, Manage, Engage, and more
The left-hand menu is now organized by the job you're doing — Recruit, Manage, Screen & Protect, Engage, Impact & Funding, Credits & Billing, and Learn & Help — instead of one long list and a separate "Free Perks" bucket. Same tools, easier to find: Messages, Broadcast, and Reply Assistant (formerly AI Replies) live under Engage; Hours and Compliance Roster under Manage; Waivers and Policies under Screen & Protect. Collapsed groups still show badge counts for new volunteers and unread messages. The in-app product tour, dashboard search, and support articles are updated to match.
- Improved
CRA review SLA: up to 3 business days
When a background check finds possible criminal records, our CRA team now reviews every hit by hand before release — there is no timed auto-release. Reviews typically complete within up to 3 business days, and the volunteer profile shows that SLA while you wait.
- New
Billing built for high volume: receipts, statements & spend controls
The Billing page is now a full spend-management hub. Every purchase has a professional, printable receipt (with your logo and our business details); export the full history to CSV or download all receipts as one PDF. Generate a period Statement (PDF) for any date range, tag purchases with a PO number / cost center / memo (flows onto receipts, CSV, and statements), and see a 12-month spend chart. Add dedicated billing contacts, schedule monthly or quarterly statements to be emailed automatically, and set a monthly budget alert. Find it all on Settings-adjacent Billing & Credits.
- New
Screening without a U.S. SSN (opt-in)
Organizations serving foreign nationals currently in the U.S. can now enable Settings → Screening → “Allow screening without a U.S. SSN.” Applicants and direct checks can opt in — same $5 pricing, U.S. criminal/sex-offender/watchlist records only, with no SSN trace or SSN-derived address history. Possible hits always go to human CRA review. See the new support article “Screening without a U.S. SSN.”
- New
Automated character references — free
Turn on Settings → Screening → “Automated character references,” and every reference your applicant lists is automatically texted a private link to confirm their identity with a free biometric facial scan, answer a few honest character questions, and (optionally) record a short video vouching for them. The verified reference, their answers, and the video land right on the volunteer’s profile — no more phone tag. It’s free, and a character-reference tool kept separate from the background check. Prefer to just ask? Tell Victor “turn on automated character references.”
- Improved
Re-screen admin alerts & check timestamps
Org admins now get in-app and email notifications when a volunteer signs re-screen authorization and when a re-screen check completes (honors Settings → Notifications). Volunteer profiles and PDF exports show the exact date and time of the last completed check.
- Improved
Quarterly re-screening by default
New organizations now default to re-screening volunteers every 3 months with automatic re-run turned on. When a check is due, VolunteerBadge sends a short FCRA authorization link — volunteers confirm their address and sign, then the check runs. Adjust the interval or turn auto re-run off anytime under Settings → Screening.
- New
Collect verified immunization records — free
You can now ask volunteers to share a verified SMART Health Card (a signed, QR-code vaccine record) during their application. Turn it on under Settings → Health. It’s optional for the volunteer, verified with the issuer, shown on their profile — and kept completely separate from the background check. A value-added benefit, not a consumer report, at no extra cost.
- New
Carry your immunization record with you
Volunteers can add one SMART Health Card to their VolunteerBadge account on their badge page and reuse it across organizations — add once, share whenever an organization asks.
- Improved
Add your headshot to volunteer invites
Upload a personal headshot under Settings → Account, and it appears on the invite emails you send so they feel personal, not automated. Controlled by a toggle under Settings → Screening (on by default). Your photo also replaces your initials in the dashboard.
- New
Trust Center
A transparent look at exactly what our criminal search covers and how we review every record for accuracy under the FCRA — our full source coverage, review process, and honest answers to the questions boards and counsel ask. Explore it at volunteerbadge.com/trust.
- New
Verify yourself for free — and earn a trust badge
Confirm your own identity with a quick, free ID check (government ID + a live selfie) and show a verified trust badge next to your name when you invite volunteers — extra reassurance for the people you screen. Find it under Settings → Verify identity.
- Improved
One shareable link for your whole group
Share a single application link — or its QR code — and every volunteer can open it to submit their own application. It keeps working for everyone until it expires or you revoke it, so one link covers your entire team.
- New
Connect VolunteerBadge to Claude
Run FCRA-compliant background checks right from Claude — Desktop, web, or Code. One-click connect, consent-first by default, with all the same guardrails built in.
- New
Help Center launched
A full support site at support.volunteerbadge.com, with step-by-step guides for every part of the platform and a searchable knowledge base.
- New
Policy Center
Generate board-ready nonprofit policies — background check, conflict of interest, whistleblower, and more — branded with your logo, free, right inside the app.
- Improved
Sharper, more accurate screening
Identity verification and middle-name matching now strengthen every check, cutting common-name false matches before a report ever reaches you.
- New
Free background-check tools
A growing library of free generators, calculators, and templates for nonprofit leaders — no paid account required — at volunteerbadge.com/tools.