Checkr is built to hire gig workers. VolunteerBadge is built to protect your mission.
Checkr is a serious, well-engineered screening platform — for employers. Point it at a volunteer program and you’re paying enterprise per-check pricing for a tool that was never designed around nonprofits, faith communities, or youth programs.
| Capability | VolunteerBadge | Checkr |
|---|---|---|
| Price per criminal check | $5 | $29.99+ |
| Built specifically for volunteers | ||
| Identity verification on every volunteer application | Included, triangulated to SSN trace | Employer-oriented |
| Portable volunteer badge profile | ||
| Volunteer recruiting & roster tools | ||
| FCRA adverse-action workflow | ||
| Developer API & webhooks | ||
| Self-serve $5 with no minimums | ||
| Verifies reportable records (all FCRA CRAs) | ||
| Free address history check | Free, always | |
| Free volunteer application templates |
Let’s be fair: Checkr is good at what it’s built for. It powers background checks for some of the largest gig and enterprise employers in the country, with a polished API and a real adverse-action workflow.
But "built for employers" is exactly the problem when you’re a nonprofit. There’s no volunteer-owned badge, no recruiting and roster tools made for volunteer programs, and the pricing reflects a corporate buyer — not a children’s ministry counting every dollar.
VolunteerBadge starts from the opposite end: the volunteer, the nonprofit, and a $5 price that respects your budget.
Price per background check
That makes VolunteerBadge up to 6.0× cheaper per check — Basic package; higher tiers and add-ons cost more.
We verify the human, not just the paperwork.
Here’s where we’ll give Checkr genuine credit: it’s one of the only screeners that offers real biometric identity verification. The difference is how and for whom. Checkr’s is an employer-oriented product, sold for hiring workflows. VolunteerBadge builds identity verification into every single volunteer application — a live biometric selfie matched to a government ID, then triangulated against the SSN trace and address history — included in the $5, with no separate product to buy. Same caliber of verification, made for volunteers and standard on every check.
Live biometric selfie
A real liveness capture — not a photo upload — proving a live person is present.
Government photo ID match
The selfie is matched face-to-face against their official ID document.
SSN-trace triangulation
Identity is cross-checked against the SSN trace and address history behind the check.
Why it matters: a name-, DOB- and SSN-only search can be passed with a borrowed clean identity. Tying a verified, living identity to the application is how you stop someone from screening as somebody else.
Everything you need — no add-ons, no surprises.
Free address-history check
An address-history lookup is included free with every application — no add-on fee.
Free volunteer application templates
Ready-to-use, sector-specific application templates at no extra cost.
Built-in FCRA workflow
Digital consent, disclosures, and automated pre-adverse & adverse-action notices with a full audit trail.
Money-back guarantee
If we can't confirm a record belongs to your applicant, we refund the check.
What Checkr does well
- Mature, developer-friendly API and integrations
- Solid FCRA adverse-action tooling for employers
- Fast turnaround on clear records at scale
- Brand recognition in the gig and enterprise hiring world
Where VolunteerBadge pulls ahead
Not purpose-built for volunteers
No portable volunteer badge, no volunteer roster or recruiting tools, no nonprofit-specific workflow. You’re adapting an employer product to a job it wasn’t designed for.
Enterprise per-check pricing
Entry packages start around $29.99 and climb with add-ons — roughly six times the cost of a VolunteerBadge check, multiplied across every volunteer you screen.
Identity verification is an employer feature, not a volunteer-native one
To Checkr’s credit, it’s one of the few screeners that offers biometric identity verification at all. But it’s built and sold for employment workflows — not woven into a nonprofit’s volunteer application by default, and not bundled into a $5 price.
“It never sat right with me to watch nonprofits get charged enterprise prices to screen the very volunteers who keep their missions alive. Our margins are honestly razor thin — and we’re completely at peace with that.”
Matt Angerer · Co-Founder, VolunteerBadge
Read why we priced it this way — the full storyBefore you decide
Does VolunteerBadge have an API like Checkr?
Yes — a full REST API and webhooks are included, so you can automate invites, checks, and status updates just like you would with Checkr.
Is Checkr cheaper at volume?
Checkr’s volume discounts are aimed at large employers. VolunteerBadge is a flat $5 per check with no minimums — already well below Checkr’s entry pricing before any negotiation.
Can VolunteerBadge handle adverse action like Checkr?
Yes. An FCRA-compliant adverse-action workflow is built in, with pre-adverse and adverse notices and an audit trail.
An online volunteer background check for every kind of organization
Wherever you serve, VolunteerBadge is the affordable volunteer background check service that switches organizations off Checkr — a $5 volunteer background check with verified identity and built-in FCRA compliance for nonprofits.
Church volunteer background checks
Children’s ministry, youth groups, and missions teams — run a church volunteer background check that verifies identity before anyone serves.
Youth sports volunteer background checks
Coaches, team parents, and league officials. A youth sports volunteer background check at $5 keeps every season covered without blowing the budget.
School volunteer background checks
Classroom helpers, chaperones, and PTA volunteers. Meet school volunteer background check requirements with FCRA-compliant reports.
Background checks for nonprofits
From food banks to disaster relief, VolunteerBadge is the affordable volunteer background check service built for nonprofits of every size.
Compare other volunteer background check services
See how VolunteerBadge stacks up against the rest.
vs
Sterling Volunteers
$5 vs $19–$39
vs
GoodHire
$5 vs $29.99–$89.99
vs
NCSI
$5 vs Quote / package
vs
National Crime Search
$5 vs $13.95–$27.95
Make the switch from Checkr — for $5 / check
Create a free account, invite a volunteer, and run a fully FCRA-compliant, identity-verified check for $5. No contract. No monthly fee. No catch.