A capable old-school CRA — minus the modern platform, the verified identity, and the published price.
Trak-1 has processed background checks for years for employers and organizations. It’s reliable in the way legacy CRAs are — and dated in all the same ways: a heavier portal, quote-based pricing, and no applicant identity verification.
Trak-1 is a seasoned consumer reporting agency, and there’s nothing wrong with experience. Organizations that have used it for years generally get their reports without drama.
But "we’ve always used them" isn’t the same as "this is the best tool for our volunteers." The portal is legacy, pricing is quote-based, and — like its legacy peers — it never verifies that the applicant is the real person behind the identifiers.
VolunteerBadge is what a volunteer screening tool looks like when it’s designed today: $5, published, identity-verified, and refundable.
Reasons nonprofits switch from Trak-1
Legacy platform
The ordering experience reflects an older generation of software — more steps, fewer self-serve conveniences, no modern volunteer-management layer.
Quote-based pricing
You won’t find a published per-check price. VolunteerBadge is a flat, transparent $5 you can act on immediately.
No identity verification
Records are matched to submitted identifiers without ever confirming the living applicant’s identity.
Price per background check
That makes VolunteerBadge up to 7.0× cheaper per check — legacy account & quote-based pricing.
| Capability | VolunteerBadge | Trak-1 |
|---|---|---|
| Price per criminal check | $5 | Custom quote |
| Published, self-serve pricing | ||
| Modern volunteer platform | Legacy portal | |
| Biometric identity verification | ID + live selfie + SSN-trace triangulation | |
| Portable volunteer badge profile | ||
| Volunteer roster & recruiting tools | ||
| FCRA adverse-action workflow | ||
| Sex-offender registry search | ||
| Verifies reportable records (all FCRA CRAs) | ||
| Free address history check | Free, always | |
| Free volunteer application templates |
We verify the human, not just the paperwork.
Years of operating history don’t add up to identity verification. Trak-1 confirms records against identifiers; it never confirms the applicant is who they claim to be. VolunteerBadge verifies the living person on every check — a liveness selfie matched to a government ID, triangulated against the SSN trace and address history — the safeguard legacy CRAs were never built to provide.
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.
“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 storyFAQ
We’ve used Trak-1 for years. Is switching hard?
No — VolunteerBadge is self-serve. Create an account, import or invite your volunteers, and run checks the same day. No migration project required.
Is VolunteerBadge a real CRA like Trak-1?
Yes — operated by ScreenForge Labs, LLC, a licensed Consumer Reporting Agency, fully FCRA-compliant.
What do I gain by switching?
Published $5 pricing, a modern platform, identity verification, portable badges, and a refund on any record we can’t confirm.
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 Trak-1 — 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
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Checkr
$5 vs $29.99+
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GoodHire
$5 vs $29.99–$89.99
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NCSI
$5 vs Quote / package
Make the switch from Trak-1 — 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.