End-of-Year Volunteer Risk Audit: 5 Things To Review Before December

A pantry volunteer signed up in spring to sort donations. By fall, he drives a weekly delivery route in his own car, and no one has pulled his motor vehicle record. A year-end audit finds gaps like this by comparing what volunteers do now with what your records, screening, and nonprofit volunteer insurance assume they do.

The gap carries a cost. If he causes a crash, the organization has no record showing it checked his driving, a gap that can extend its liability under its duty of care.

There are four common volunteer risks: injuries to volunteers, liability for injuring someone or damaging property, automobile liability, and dishonesty. The first four reviews below check how this year’s changes affected those risks. The fifth checks whether your coverage still addresses them. November leaves less time to finish before winter, increasing the risk of falls and vehicle accidents.

1. Do Volunteer Assignments Still Fit the Volunteer and the Site?

Start with assignments, since the other changes in the audit trace back to them. Compare each job description with the tasks the volunteer performs today, and note anyone who has taken on work outside his or her original role. Volunteers asked to work outside their responsibilities may lack the physical ability or proper equipment for the task, which puts them at risk of injury. Reassign responsibilities as needed so each volunteer can perform his or her tasks safely. For older volunteers whose abilities changed during the year, confirm what they can do now before having them keep assignments.

A volunteer who fits the task can still get hurt while performing it. VIS identifies falls as the most common type of accident that injures volunteers, which makes site conditions the first place to look for injury risk. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) advises employers to clear snow and ice from walking surfaces and spread de-icer as quickly as possible after a winter storm. Volunteers encounter hazards off-site, too, on sidewalks, steps, and parking lots at pantries, offices, and client homes. Name the person responsible for clearing each site. During the same visit, check for indoor trip hazards such as clutter and loose rugs.

2. Does Each Volunteer’s Screening Match His or Her Current Role?

Assignment changes also affect screening. VIS recommends background checks for volunteers who work with vulnerable clients, drive vehicles or handle money. A volunteer who moved into client contact or a money-handling role this year, was given keys to the storage unit, or in some other way was allowed proximity to valuable resources may have a check that reflects an earlier assignment, or no check at all. Without a check that matches the role, the organization can’t show it screened the volunteer for the work.

The pantry volunteer’s route now takes him to clients’ homes. If those clients include vulnerable individuals, his new role needs a background check; his sorting job didn’t. Volunteers who now handle cash or financial data need the same review because of the risk of exposure to dishonesty that their access creates. Match each check to what the new role requires. VIS screening partner Sure Check returns reports within eight hours on average nationwide. The short turnaround lets you screen a volunteer before his or her next shift in the new role.

3. Are Driver Records and Vehicles Ready for Winter Routes?

Driving roles add a third set of records: the driver file. VIS recommends pulling motor vehicle records at least once a year for every volunteer who drives his or her own vehicle on assignment. Each driver file should include the following, so the organization can show it screened and trained the driver:

• Motor vehicle record: A record pulled within the past year, which shows any violations or suspensions since the last check
• Current personal automobile liability insurance: Note the renewal date for each driver and put it on your calendar so you can ask for proof of coverage next year.
• Driver’s license: A current copy, which confirms the volunteer can legally drive
• Inspection date: The state vehicle inspection date and, where the state requires annual inspections, a copy of the certificate showing the vehicle passed
• Winter driving training: A record that the volunteer completed training before cold-weather routes begin. (VIS partner the National Traffic Safety Institute offers an excellent online driver safety course. VIS members pay only $25 per driver. See our Member Benefits page for more information. VIS’s “Preventer Papers,” available to VIS members 24/7, also address winter driving and other vehicle safety topics.)

Winter conditions add two points to the review. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) notes that slick or snow-covered roads make a vehicle harder to control and stop, and it advises drivers to slow down and increase following distance. Cover both points in winter training. NHTSA also advises checking for open recalls by entering the vehicle’s VIN, which reveals any unrepaired safety issue and how to get it fixed for free. Ask each driver to run the check and add the result to his or her file.

The pantry volunteer needs all four records before his next route.

4. Did Every Incident This Year Reach Your Insurer?

Pull every report from this year in which a volunteer was injured, injured someone, or damaged someone’s property, along with any complaints about volunteers. Confirm that each one reached your insurer.

The confirmation protects your coverage. VIS guidance notes that liability claims can develop slowly, and a claim can trace back to an incident from months earlier. The insurance contract requires timely notice of claims. If an unreported incident later becomes a claim, the delay can jeopardize coverage, and the organization could end up disputing whether its notice was timely. 

Each incident can also show where procedures fell short. For each one, ask whether volunteers followed your safety procedures, why not if they didn’t, and what, if anything, should change. Add the answers to next year’s training to reduce the chance of a repeat.

5. Does Your Nonprofit Volunteer Insurance Still Fit the Program You Run?

The last review checks whether your nonprofit volunteer insurance changed along with your volunteers’ risks. New driving, money handling, or client contact may call for coverage you didn’t need in January.

VIS offers coverage for each of the four common volunteer risks. For injuries to volunteers, VIS volunteer accident insurance covers volunteers who are injured while volunteering. For liability, VIS volunteer liability insurance defends volunteers against allegations of bodily injury or property damage. For automobile liability, VIS excess automobile liability insurance provides up to $500,000 above the volunteer’s personal auto policy. For dishonesty, VIS offers employee/volunteer dishonesty insurance.

Take the Audit Into Next Year’s Plan

Each gap the audit turns up has a matching fix: an updated assignment, a new background check, a completed driver file, a late incident report, or a coverage change. List each gap with its fix and bring the list to your year-end board meeting. The list then becomes the starting point for next year’s risk management plan.

Complete the five reviews before December. To protect your volunteers with VIS volunteer liability, accident, and excess automobile liability insurance, click “Get volunteer insurance now” on the home page or call 800.222.8920. For details about the specialized volunteer insurance VIS offers, click the “VIS is…” tab at the top of the page and scroll down to the FAQ section.

VIS members enjoy 24/7 access to the “VIS Vault” of risk-management resources, including dozens of “Preventer Papers” addressing injury prevention and vehicle safety. These documents are very useful for small-group safety training or for giving to volunteers individually. Find VIS vendor partners and other member resources under Member Benefits.

About the Author

William R. Henry, Jr. is Vice President and Director of Member Benefits at Volunteers Insurance Service Association, Inc. (VIS), where he leads membership development and delivers risk management solutions tailored to volunteer-based organizations nationwide. A recognized authority on volunteer risk management, he is a frequent speaker and author on best practices for safe and effective volunteer engagement. He is accredited by the International Association of Business Communicators. With a background in communications, journalism, and public affairs, Henry brings a strategic perspective to supporting nonprofit organizations across the United States.

About VIS

Volunteers Insurance Service Association, Inc. (VIS) is a membership organization serving more than 3,500 volunteer-based nonprofit organizations and public entities nationwide. VIS is the only association that offers these three insurance programs designed specifically for volunteers: volunteer accident, volunteer liability, and volunteer excess automobile liability.

If you are interested in protecting your volunteers through the unique VIS insurance program, please click on the “Get volunteer insurance now” link on the home page, or call 800.222.8920. For more information on VIS’s risk-management resources for members and our vendor partners, click on the “Member Benefits” tab.