How to Use Qualifications for Background Checks

Created by Brittany Crow, Modified on Wed, Mar 20 at 1:49 PM by Brittany Crow

❖ Heads up! This article is intended for Site Managers.

While we can connect you with our third-party background check providers, you may already be established with an outside background check provider and want to continue working with them.

That's completely fine and up to you. You can set up special Qualifications and continue working with your chosen provider—and we're going to show you the best possible way to do so!

Working with third-party providers
- How to set it up with a Qualification

Working with third-party providers

You can set up Qualifications that require manual review and approval before volunteers can respond to a Need. The purpose of these Qualifications is to stop volunteers from responding while you use your third-party system to see who is and isn't approved.

After you verify the results of those background checks, you can return to the Qualifications > Approval area of your site to update their status accordingly. Some options include:

Setting up a File Upload Qualification type if you want volunteers to submit a document or certificate when completing the Qualification.
Selecting a blank or selected answer if you don't require volunteers to upload a document when answering.

✏️ Quick tip: Almost all third-party background check Qualifications require that you include a link to the third-party provider. This is done through the Add Content Link which is available with all Qualifications types—i.e., File Upload, Radio Button, etc.

How to set it up with a Qualification

You can choose any type when setting up a third-party background check Qualification. In the following example, we've set it up as a File Upload type. This means the volunteers are required to upload documentation when completing the Qualification. Documentation can include:

A screenshot showing they completed the background check with the third-party provider
A certificate
Any additional documentation requirements associated with this Qualification—i.e., licensure, driver's license, completed forms, etc.

Field	Setup Explanation
Status	Mark the status as Active so volunteers can access this Qualification.
Type	Select File Upload for the Type if you want volunteers to upload a file or document when completing the requirements for this Qualification. If you don't want to require them to upload any documentation, then you can select one of the other available types. For more information about the different types, or setting up Qualifications, click here.
Title	This is visible to volunteers, Agency Managers, and Site Managers. Be specific with the title—e.g., Background Check Summer 2024.
Question	This is what the volunteer sees when they click on the Qualification. It can be a question like "Have you completed our background check?". It can be a statement like "Please complete our background check by clicking the link below."
Auto Approve	For most background check Qualifications, Site Managers check No for Auto Approve. This allows you to review the background check status, Qualification response, and any additional information provided to your third-party service provider. When ready, you can manually approve them.
Permissions	Here are some questions to help you determine which Permission to select: Does the Qualification apply to all users and/or Needs on your site? Select Required to Respond to Any Needs or Required to View Any Needs. Does the Qualification apply to only users who complete a certain Track or is it only for specific Needs? Select Required to Respond to Selected Needs or Required to View Selected Needs. Note: We don't recommend using the Required to Use Site option, as this limits user access to your site and Needs. Not Required for Need Access means they won't be required to complete the Qualification before responding to Needs or using your site.
Duration	The duration selection depends on when you want volunteers to complete the Qualification again. Do you want volunteers to complete the background check again? If yes, select when you want the Qualification to expire. For example, if you want them to complete it again annually, select 1 Year. When it expires, a notification is sent to the users prompting them to complete it again. Do you want the Qualification to be good for life? If yes, select Forever as the Duration.
Add Content Link	Almost all background check Qualifications through a third-party service require a content link. 1. Toggle the Add Content Link button to On. 2. Copy a link to the third-party background check provider and paste it into the Link URL field. 3. You can include actionable text or the title of the service provider in the Link Text field—e.g., Click here to complete your background check or 123 Background Checker. This creates a clickable link that directs them to your third-party provider.

Here's what the form looks like with this setup:

Here's what it looks like to volunteers: