Free guide · 2026 edition · For disaster, relief and emergency volunteer leaders
When the Call Comes
A volunteer screening playbook for disaster response and relief programs
What federal guidance says about screening spontaneous volunteers, CERT and MRC teams, shelter and rebuild crews — and how to be fast and safe when the call comes.
- 19 pages, written for disaster and relief volunteer leaders
- FEMA, CERT, MRC and shelter guidance in one place
- A readiness checklist and an intake notice you can copy
- Every federal source and statute cited
Who this guide is for
Leaders of disaster ministries and relief nonprofits, VOAD members, CERT and Medical Reserve Corps coordinators, emergency managers, shelter and distribution-site managers, and churches that open their doors after a storm.
75.7M
Americans formally volunteered through an organization between September 2022 and September 2023.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024
119
federal disaster, emergency and fire declarations were made in 2025, by our count of FEMA’s open data.
OpenFEMA
$5
for a national, identity-verified check a volunteer can complete from their phone — most results in minutes.
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From the executive summary
Six things every relief leader should know
- 1
Unaffiliated volunteers are hard to verify.
FEMA says so, and urges people to affiliate with an organization before a disaster.
- 2
FEMA doesn’t screen volunteers for you.
CERT sponsors and local programs decide, under state and local law.
- 3
Children in shelters need checked adults.
Federal reunification guidance calls for checks and fingerprints for everyone with access to unaccompanied minors.
- 4
The Volunteer Protection Act protects volunteers, not organizations.
Poor screening is still your organization’s risk.
- 5
Screen before the storm.
A pre-screened roster is the only way to be fast and safe at once.
- 6
Match roles to screening.
Unscreened helpers can sort donations; they shouldn’t be alone with children or inside survivors’ homes.
What's inside
- 01
The short version
The whole case on one page.
- 02
The screening problem in a disaster
What FEMA’s volunteer guidance says — and doesn’t.
- 03
Affiliate before the disaster
Federal and National VOAD guidance, and where policy may be heading.
- 04
CERT: what FEMA does and doesn’t require
The CERT Program Guide and Liability Guide on screening.
- 05
Medical Reserve Corps and health volunteers
MRC, ESAR-VHP credential levels, and Connecticut and Virginia examples.
- 06
Children and vulnerable adults in shelters
Federal reunification and functional-needs shelter guidance.
- 07
Rebuild crews and anyone who enters a home
Practical rules for home-entry teams.
- 08
Liability: what the Volunteer Protection Act does — and doesn’t
Why the Act doesn’t protect your organization.
- 09
Speed versus screening
Pre-screened rosters, tiered roles, contingent placement and phone-based checks.
- 10
Who should be screened, by role
From shelter child care to distribution sites.
- 11
Building a disaster-ready volunteer program
Before, during and after an activation.
- 12
How VolunteerBadge helps
Phone-based identity verification and checks, ready before storm season.
- A
Appendix A: Disaster volunteer readiness checklist
Use before storm season and after every activation.
- B
Appendix B: Volunteer intake notice
For your reception table or sign-up link.
- C
Appendix C: Free tools, further reading and sources
Related guides and every citation.
Questions
- Is the guide really free?
- Yes. Sign in with Google or LinkedIn and the PDF opens right away. Signing in doesn’t set up an organization, start a trial, or charge anything.
- Does FEMA require background checks for CERT volunteers?
- No. FEMA’s 2022 CERT Program Guide says FEMA does not credential or complete background checks on volunteers and sets no uniform standard; sponsors and state coordinators decide under state and local law. FEMA’s CERT Liability Guide calls criminal checks advisable — and possibly legally required — for members who work with children, the elderly, people with disabilities and disaster victims.
- Does the Volunteer Protection Act protect our organization?
- No. The federal Act protects individual volunteers under certain conditions and says expressly that it doesn’t affect the liability of the nonprofit or government entity. It also doesn’t cover crimes of violence, sexual offenses for which a volunteer was convicted, or driving.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. It is general education. Screening requirements for disaster volunteers are set mostly by states, localities, sponsoring agencies and organizations — confirm yours with your emergency management agency and qualified counsel.
VolunteerBadge is owned and operated by ScreenForge Labs, LLC, an FCRA-regulated Consumer Reporting Agency that has obtained its FCRA Certificate from the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA). This guide is general educational information and is not legal advice.