What Is a Consumer Report? What a Volunteer Background Check Really Is (2026)
A consumer report is the formal, FCRA-regulated name for the information behind a background check. Here’s the definition and what it means for screening volunteers.
On this page
When you run a volunteer background check, you’re receiving something the law calls a consumer report. Understanding that term is the key to understanding your responsibilities.
Consumer report — definition
A consumer report is any communication of information by a consumer reporting agency bearing on a person’s character, general reputation, or personal characteristics, used to help decide their eligibility for something — including volunteering. A background check is a consumer report.
Why the label matters
Because a background check is a consumer report, the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies. That means before you run one you need a clear disclosure and the applicant’s written authorization, and if you decide to decline someone based on it, you must follow the adverse-action process. These aren’t optional niceties — they’re federal requirements designed to keep the process fair and accurate.
What a consumer report is not
- Not a credit score. A volunteer criminal check reports criminal and identity information, not your credit rating.
- Not an investigative consumer report. That’s a distinct type built from personal interviews, with extra rules.
- Not a character reference. A voluntary opinion from someone the applicant chose is separate and isn’t a consumer report.
What’s inside a VolunteerBadge consumer report
Every VolunteerBadge check is a deep, human-reviewed, FCRA-grade consumer report for $5: federal, state, and county court records, all 50 state sex-offender registries, the FBI Most Wanted list, and OFAC and global watchlists — matched to a verified identity, with a trained reviewer confirming any record before it reaches you. See exactly what’s searched →
Related: What is a consumer reporting agency? · What is adverse action? · The full screening glossary
Run your first check for $5. Create a free VolunteerBadge account →
