Staff

Trust is the currency of the not-for-profit sector. Donors trust charities with money. Beneficiaries trust them with dignity and safety. Boards trust staff and suppliers with governance, data, and reputation. Once that trust is broken, it is rarely repaired. Background and police checks are not about paranoia. They are about risk management, duty of care, and stewardship. Done properly, they protect the organisation, the mission, and the people the charity exists to serve.

Below are the scenarios where charities—and suppliers who specialise in the NFP sector—should treat background and police checks as non-negotiable.

1. Roles Handling Money or Financial Authority

If a role involves:

• Processing donations or grants
• Approving payments or reimbursements
• Managing bank accounts, payment gateways, or credit cards
• Handling bequests, estates, or trust distributions

A police check should be standard practice.

Fraud in charities is rarely sophisticated. It is usually internal, incremental, and enabled by misplaced trust. Background checks do not guarantee honesty, but they reduce avoidable exposure and demonstrate responsible governance.

This applies equally to:

• Finance staff
• Fundraising operations roles
• External bookkeepers or finance contractors

2. Roles with Access to Donor or Constituent Data

Anyone with access to:

• Donor databases and CRMs
• Contact details, giving histories, or wealth indicators
• Health, disability, or vulnerability information
• Children’s or sensitive client records

should be screened.

Data breaches are no longer just IT failures—they are people failures. Charities hold deeply personal information, and misuse can cause reputational harm far beyond regulatory penalties.

This includes:

• CRM administrators
• Marketing automation specialists
• Data analysts
• External consultants with system access

3. Roles Working with Vulnerable People

If staff or contractors interact with:

• Children
• People with disabilities
• Survivors of trauma
• Elderly or isolated individuals

then police checks are essential—and often legally required.

In many jurisdictions, this extends beyond frontline staff to:

• Program managers
• Volunteer coordinators
• IT or facilities staff with unsupervised access

A charity cannot credibly claim a commitment to safeguarding without consistent screening.

4. Senior Leadership and Executive Roles

Executives set culture, control resources, and represent the organisation publicly. A failure at this level is catastrophic.

Background checks for senior roles should include:

• Police checks
• Reference checks that go beyond “character referees”
• Verification of qualifications and employment history

Charities are particularly vulnerable to charismatic leaders who trade on trust and mission alignment. Governance requires verification, not optimism.

5. Board-Facing or Governance-Sensitive Roles

Staff or suppliers who:

• Prepare board papers
• Influence governance decisions
• Advise on compliance, risk, or strategy

should be vetted appropriately.

This is especially true for:

• Company secretariat roles
• Governance consultants
• Interim executives

Poor judgement or undisclosed history in these roles can undermine board confidence and decision-making.

6. External Suppliers Embedded in Operations

Suppliers often escape scrutiny because they are “not employees.” This is a mistake.

Police or background checks should be considered for suppliers who:

• Have admin access to systems
• Handle donor communications or appeals
• Manage payment processing or integrations
• Work onsite or alongside staff

This includes CRM consultants, fundraising agencies, IT support providers, and data migration partners.

If a supplier markets themselves as “NFP-specialist,” they should expect—and welcome—this level of due diligence.

7. Temporary, Contract, and Interim Roles

Interim staff are often brought in during periods of instability: system implementations, leadership transitions, or crises.

These roles frequently have:

• Elevated access
• Reduced oversight
• Short onboarding periods

Which makes checks even more important, not less.

Speed is not an excuse for skipping safeguards.

8. Roles Representing the Charity Publicly

Anyone acting as the public face of the organisation—media spokespeople, fundraisers, event hosts—carries reputational risk.

Past behaviour, even if unrelated to the role, can surface later and damage donor confidence. A basic background check helps boards and executives make informed decisions.

Getting the Balance Right

Police and background checks must be:

• Proportionate to the role
• Consistent across the organisation
• Handled confidentially and lawfully

They are not about excluding people unnecessarily. They are about aligning risk controls with responsibility.

Charities routinely demand transparency from donors, regulators, and the public. It is reasonable—and necessary—to apply the same discipline internally and to the suppliers who support the mission.