FCRA Certificate · CDIA
Responsible background checks, certified for the FCRA
Wondering about VolunteerBadge’s FCRA and PBSA posture? Here it is, in the open. Our records researchers hold the CDIA’s FCRA Certificate for CRAs, we operate as an FCRA-regulated Consumer Reporting Agency, and we publish every policy in a Trust Center you can read today.
Our association with the CDIA
“Responsible use of consumer data empowers economic opportunity.”
That principle, championed by the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA), is exactly why VolunteerBadge exists. A background check is one of the most sensitive things an organization can run on a person. Done responsibly, it opens doors — it lets a nonprofit trust a stranger enough to let them serve. Done carelessly, it can wrongly shut a good person out.
The CDIA is the trade association that represents the consumer reporting industry and helped shape the modern Fair Credit Reporting Act. Its FCRA Certificate for CRAs is an exam-based credential that verifies a researcher can assemble and report consumer information lawfully and accurately.
ScreenForge Labs, LLC— the operator of VolunteerBadge — has obtained its FCRA Certificate from the CDIA. In plain terms: the people handling your volunteers’ sensitive data have been formally tested on the rules that protect them.
FCRA Certificate for CRAs
Issued by the Consumer Data Industry Association — the same body that helped write the standards our whole industry follows. Held by ScreenForge Labs, LLC, operator of VolunteerBadge.
Why FCRA training protects your volunteers
A background check is only as safe as the people and processes behind it. Here is what FCRA-certified handling actually guarantees for the volunteers your nonprofit screens.
Permissible purpose, every time
The FCRA only allows a background check to run for a legitimate, disclosed reason with the person’s written consent. A certified researcher knows exactly where that line is — so a volunteer is never screened without a proper basis.
Accuracy and the right to dispute
FCRA-trained researchers follow strict procedures to assemble accurate records and to correct them quickly if a volunteer disputes something. That protects good people from being wrongly turned away over a bad-data match.
Adverse action, done right
If a record ever affects a volunteer’s eligibility, the FCRA requires a specific notice-and-wait process. We run that workflow for your nonprofit automatically, so a well-meaning organization never trips an FCRA violation.
15+ years in screening
This is not our first background check.
The team behind VolunteerBadge has spent more than 15 years running FCRA-regulated background checks. From 2011 to 2019 we operated VerticalRent, a tenant-screening platform used by landlords across the country.
Over those years we processed hundreds of thousands of background checks— and learned, first-hand, how much care consumer data demands. VolunteerBadge brings that same discipline to the nonprofit world, at a price built for volunteers.
Compliance you can hand to your board
Free to set up, $5 per identity-verified check, and every policy published in the open.
Create your free accountRead it for yourself
We’d rather show you than tell you. Every document below is public — our compliance, privacy, and security posture, plus the certificate itself.
The front door to how we protect volunteers’ data and stay compliant.
What we collect, why, and the rights every volunteer has over their data.
How we operate as an FCRA-regulated Consumer Reporting Agency.
Encryption, access controls, and our SOC 2 readiness roadmap.
The consent and disclosure a volunteer sees before any check runs.
The summary of consumer rights the FCRA guarantees every applicant.
ScreenForge Labs’ CDIA FCRA Certificate for CRAs.
The CDIA’s certificate program for consumer reporting agencies.
¹ Urban Institute (2017), analysis of 1.7 million employment background checks
Everything included, nothing hidden.
Other platforms charge extra for these. We don't.
We search 650M+ court records across all jurisdictions — county, state, and federal courts, sex offender registries, FBI Most Wanted, OFAC sanctions, and global watchlists. If county records exist but can't be verified under FCRA guidelines, we tell you and refund your fee. No games.
- County, state & federal courts
- Sex offender registry (all 50 states)
- FBI Most Wanted & OFAC
- FCRA-compliant results report
Every volunteer application includes a free address history pull. We verify what they report against what we find. Gaps, inconsistencies, or addresses they "forgot" to mention get flagged before you spend a dime on a criminal check.
- Digital volunteer e-form with FCRA authorization
- Real-time address cross-reference
- Instant flag on discrepancies
- No credits used, ever
Go beyond name-and-date-of-birth. Verify each volunteer with a government-issued photo ID and a biometric liveness selfie, matched against the identity they provide — so you know the human behind the application is who they claim to be.
- Government photo ID capture
- Biometric liveness selfie
- ID-to-applicant identity match
- 500 verifications/month included
Fully documented REST API and webhook support. Plug VolunteerBadge into your CRM, volunteer management software, or AI tool of choice. One API key. 1 credit = 1 background check, however you access us.
- REST API + webhooks
- NLP interface (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini)
- Adverse action notice generation
- In-app, mobile, or API — same price
We verify the human — not just the name on the form.
VolunteerBadge is the only volunteer screening platform that ties a real, verified identity to every application: a biometric face match against a government photo ID, then triangulated against the SSN trace and address history behind the check. A borrowed clean identity can't get through.
Biometric facial match
A live liveness selfie — proof a real person is present, not a photo.
Government photo ID
The selfie is matched face-to-face against their official ID document.
SSN + address triangulation
Identity cross-checked against the SSN trace and address history on the report.
Enterprise-grade verification at a nonprofit price. The same rigor banks use — built into every $5 check.
How it works
Application to cleared volunteer in three steps.
Build the application
Create a digital volunteer application with built-in FCRA authorization. Send a link or embed it on your site.
Verify identity & address
A free address-history check and biometric ID verification confirm the applicant before you spend a dollar.
Run the $5 check
A full national criminal check returns an FCRA-compliant report — with adverse-action notices if needed.
Pricing so simple it's almost embarrassing.
Pay per check for screening. Subscribe to run your whole volunteer program.
Buy credits one at a time. No commitment, no expiry.
- Full national criminal check
- Free address history check
- FCRA-compliant results
- Identity verification
- API & Webhook access
- Adverse action generator
10 credits, 10% off. Credits never expire. Bigger bundles up to 25% off in-app.
- Everything in Pay As You Go
- 10 background check credits
- 10% savings
- Credits roll over, never expire
- Bigger bundles up to 25% off
- Usage dashboard & reporting
Every management feature, included free for unlimited admin users. Only checks cost $5.
- Everything in Pay As You Go
- Volunteer hour tracking
- Grant-ready PDF & CSV reports
- Live compliance roster
- Automated re-screening alerts
- AI grant writing (Claude)
- Dollars for Doers capture
- Unlimited admin seats
Compliance isn't an add-on. It's the default.
Every check follows an FCRA-compliant process, with applicant authorization captured up front and adverse-action notices generated for you when a record is found. The guardrails that protect your volunteers and your organization are included — not sold separately.
Start screening volunteers for $5.
Create a free account in minutes. No contracts, no monthly minimums, no sales call. Just $5 per check when you're ready.
FCRA & PBSA, answered honestly
The questions careful nonprofits ask us — including the ones with an uncomfortable answer.
Is VolunteerBadge FCRA compliant?
Yes. VolunteerBadge is operated by ScreenForge Labs, LLC, which functions as an FCRA-regulated Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA). Every background check follows the Fair Credit Reporting Act — permissible purpose, written volunteer consent, dispute rights, and a full adverse-action workflow that we handle for you. Our records researchers have also obtained the FCRA Certificate for CRAs offered by the CDIA.
What is the CDIA FCRA Certificate, and why does it matter?
The Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA) is the trade association that represents the consumer reporting industry and helped shape the modern FCRA. Its FCRA Certificate for CRAs is a formal, exam-based credential that verifies a researcher understands how to assemble and report consumer information lawfully and accurately. It matters because a background check is only as safe as the person interpreting it — the certificate is evidence that the people handling volunteers’ sensitive data know the rules that protect them.
Are you PBSA accredited?
No — VolunteerBadge is not currently PBSA (Professional Background Screening Association) accredited, and we want to be straight about why. PBSA accreditation requires an organization to have provided screening services for at least one full year before it can even begin the application process. VolunteerBadge launched on June 15, 2026, so the earliest we can submit our Letter of Intent is June 2027 — and that is exactly our plan. In the meantime we have begun our internal readiness work and are completing our SOC 2 preparations. Importantly, PBSA accreditation is not a legal requirement to screen volunteers — what the law requires is operating as an FCRA-compliant Consumer Reporting Agency, which we do. Our full screening and compliance processes are documented openly in our Trust Center.
How is our data kept secure?
VolunteerBadge is built on SOC 2-compliant cloud infrastructure, and our core subprocessors maintain their own SOC 2 attestations. Sensitive data is encrypted in transit and at rest, access is least-privilege, and we have begun readiness work toward our own SOC 2 Type II examination, targeted for 2027. You can review our current controls in the Trust Center and Security overview.
What experience is behind VolunteerBadge?
The team behind VolunteerBadge has more than 15 years of background-screening experience. From 2011 to 2019 we operated VerticalRent, a tenant-screening platform that processed hundreds of thousands of FCRA-regulated background checks for landlords nationwide. VolunteerBadge applies that same compliance discipline to the nonprofit and volunteer world.
Where can I see your compliance and privacy policies?
Everything is public. Our Trust Center links to our Privacy Policy, FCRA Compliance summary, Security overview, FCRA candidate authorization and consumer-rights notices, and our full policy library. We would rather you read the details than take our word for it.
Screen with a clear conscience
Certified researchers, an FCRA-regulated process, and an open Trust Center. Give your volunteers the responsible screening they deserve — for $5.