When we talk about whether non-profit organizations can be held responsible for the bad actions of their volunteers, we need to understand a concept called vicarious liability. This is a fancy way of saying that sometimes an organization can be blamed for what its employees do while they are working.
But with volunteers, things can get a little tricky.
Relationship:
Non-profits usually depend on volunteers, and volunteers aren’t employees in the same way. If a volunteer does something wrong, like assault or fraud, the organization might not always be responsible.
What They Were Doing:
Whether a non-profit can be held responsible often depends on what the volunteer was doing at the time. If a volunteer does something wrong while they are helping out at the non-profit, the organization could be held responsible. For example, if a volunteer at a charity event hurts someone, the non-profit might be liable because it happened while the volunteer was working for them.
Failure to Screen or Supervise:
If a non-profit doesn’t do a good job of checking out its volunteers or keeping an eye on their actions, they could get in trouble. For instance, if a non-profit knows a volunteer has been violent before but lets them work with vulnerable people anyway, they could be accused of negligent hiring. This means they didn’t do their homework, and if something bad happens, they could be held responsible.
Assault: Imagine a volunteer at a homeless shelter gets into a fight with a guest. If this fight happens while the volunteer is doing their job, the shelter might get in trouble because it was connected to the volunteer’s work.
Defamation: If a volunteer spreads lies about another volunteer during an event, the non-profit may also be held responsible if it can be shown that this happened while they were engaging in the organization's activities.
Non-profit organizations usually can’t be held responsible for the bad actions of their volunteers. However, there are many factors that can change this. By understanding these relationships better, non-profits can work to manage risks and create guidelines for supervising and supporting their volunteers.
When we talk about whether non-profit organizations can be held responsible for the bad actions of their volunteers, we need to understand a concept called vicarious liability. This is a fancy way of saying that sometimes an organization can be blamed for what its employees do while they are working.
But with volunteers, things can get a little tricky.
Relationship:
Non-profits usually depend on volunteers, and volunteers aren’t employees in the same way. If a volunteer does something wrong, like assault or fraud, the organization might not always be responsible.
What They Were Doing:
Whether a non-profit can be held responsible often depends on what the volunteer was doing at the time. If a volunteer does something wrong while they are helping out at the non-profit, the organization could be held responsible. For example, if a volunteer at a charity event hurts someone, the non-profit might be liable because it happened while the volunteer was working for them.
Failure to Screen or Supervise:
If a non-profit doesn’t do a good job of checking out its volunteers or keeping an eye on their actions, they could get in trouble. For instance, if a non-profit knows a volunteer has been violent before but lets them work with vulnerable people anyway, they could be accused of negligent hiring. This means they didn’t do their homework, and if something bad happens, they could be held responsible.
Assault: Imagine a volunteer at a homeless shelter gets into a fight with a guest. If this fight happens while the volunteer is doing their job, the shelter might get in trouble because it was connected to the volunteer’s work.
Defamation: If a volunteer spreads lies about another volunteer during an event, the non-profit may also be held responsible if it can be shown that this happened while they were engaging in the organization's activities.
Non-profit organizations usually can’t be held responsible for the bad actions of their volunteers. However, there are many factors that can change this. By understanding these relationships better, non-profits can work to manage risks and create guidelines for supervising and supporting their volunteers.