The modern Sterling Volunteers alternative.
Sterling Volunteers is a well-known name in volunteer screening, but nonprofits increasingly want a modern Sterling Volunteers alternative. As a budget-friendly Verified Volunteers alternative, VolunteerBadge offers full national criminal checks for $5, built-in biometric identity verification, and an all-in-one volunteer platform — with no per-seat fees and no contracts.
Why nonprofits are switching to VolunteerBadge
Sterling Volunteers (part of First Advantage) built its reputation on the portable, volunteer-owned background-check profile. It's a capable, enterprise-grade service. But many nonprofits tell us they want three things it doesn't prioritize: radically lower per-check pricing, identity verification that confirms the human is who they claim to be, and an all-in-one platform that also handles applications, hour tracking, and grant reporting.
VolunteerBadge was built around exactly those needs. Background checks are $5 — a fraction of typical market pricing — with free address-history checks and adverse-action notices included. Every applicant can be verified with a government photo ID plus a biometric liveness selfie, matched against the identity on file, so you know the person behind the application is real. And the same platform runs your whole volunteer program, not just the screen.
It's a straightforward, transparent, FCRA-compliant alternative designed for nonprofit budgets — no sales calls required to see a price.
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.
Frequently asked questions
How is VolunteerBadge different from Sterling Volunteers?
VolunteerBadge focuses on affordable $5 background checks, built-in biometric identity verification, and an all-in-one volunteer platform (applications, hour tracking, compliance, and grant reporting) — with transparent, self-serve pricing and no per-seat fees.
How much does VolunteerBadge cost per check?
A full national criminal check is $5, with free address-history checks and adverse-action notices included. There are no monthly fees on the pay-as-you-go plan.
Does VolunteerBadge verify the volunteer's identity?
Yes. VolunteerBadge can verify each applicant with a government-issued photo ID and a biometric liveness selfie, matching the person to the identity they provide — an extra layer of confidence before they're cleared to serve.
Is it FCRA compliant?
Yes. VolunteerBadge follows an FCRA-compliant screening process and includes adverse-action notice generation. For a detailed feature-by-feature comparison, see our Sterling Volunteers comparison page.