FAQs

We utilize Sterling Volunteers’ Basic Criminal History Record Locator Search. It ONLY includes Government Watch List Search (OFAC), DOJ Sex Offender Search, and National Criminal History Search.  It also includes monthly monitoring for a year of the national criminal history search and sex offender registry.

You may notice in their standard consent that the report “may include” information related to credit reports, education credits, and/or other information.  Rest assured, we do not see that type of information.  We do not pay for a background check package that includes that information. 

We see the exact same thing the volunteer sees when they login to their Sterling Volunteers account when they click on the screening badge.  Below is a screen shot of my personal Sterling page.  I drew a red arrow pointing to the badge.  (If you zoom in REALLY closely, it says Texas A&M 4-H – or Texas Master Volunteers – on the badge.)  The volunteer can click on the badge, and it will show their background check report.  That is what we see for each volunteer. 

Volunteers who have an existing account with Sterling Volunteers can “share” their background check if it is still valid. (That is, if the most recent background check is less than a year ago.)

Here are the instructions on how to share a background check through Sterling Volunteers with our Texas Master Volunteers account.  Please let usknow if you have any additional questions!

1. Go to the website: https://app.sterlingvolunteers.com
2. Login with your existing Sterling Volunteer credentials.
3. In the bottom right corner, under the My Screening Checklist, click the orange text, “Find organizations and share my background check.”
4. In the Filter section, type the zip code 77845 (College Station).
5. In the Organization Name section, type Texas Master Volunteers. 
6. Click the orange Search button.
7. In your search results, you should find Texas Master Volunteers with the email address of This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., phone number of 254-974-9027, and the city of College Station.
8. Click the Share Screening button. You will only be able to share your background check if it is still current. 
9. See this video for a screen recording and instructions about the process of sharing your existing background check report through Sterling Volunteers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv8TuXrrhdI
   • At the 39-second mark, this video shows how to share your background check with the Texas 4-H program.  Instead of typing in Texas A&M AgriLife 4-H as shown in the video, enter Texas Master Volunteers. 

The new process includes three main steps:

1. Volunteer completes application form on Extension Volunteer Standards (EVS) Application System database (and approval from the county – you)
2. Volunteer submits application fee and completes online training course in AgriLife Learn
3. Volunteer submits information in Sterling Volunteers for background check

Below is a summary of the entire process. The EVS Rules and Guidelines have full details with the Master volunteer information begins on page 12.

1. Volunteer Interest & Application. Once the potential volunteer expresses interest in becoming a volunteer, the County Extension Agent or local staff directs the potential volunteer to the online Extension Volunteer Standards application form at https://evs.tamu.edu/.    Note.  This is an online form only.  It does NOT require a login or to create an account. 

2. County Review.  Once the online application is submitted, the County Extension Agent will receive a notification email and/or can view the submitted applications through the EVS database. The county office will review the application and will either deny or approve the application.
   1. If denied, an automated email is sent to the volunteer and the process ends.
   2. If approved, the process continues.

3. Approval Notification.  If approved, an automated email will be sent to the potential volunteer which will include details regarding the volunteer training course information through the AgriLife Learn platform.

4. AgriLife Learn & Payment. The volunteer will use the link from the automated approval email to get to the online volunteer course in the AgriLife Learn platform.  The volunteer will either login or create a new profile.  The same email address used for the EVS application should be used with AgriLife Learn. (Please note this is separate from a VMS login for reporting hours.)
   
   1. If your county is purchasing seats for the group, stop here before submitting your individual payment.  Contact your county for the course information. 
   2. If you are trying to bulk purchase the course for your county, see the FAQ page for the information about the bulk purchase of the course.
   3. Payment will be processed and received through the AgriLife Learn platform before the volunteer may begin the course.

5. Course Completion.  Once the course is completed, an automated email from AgriLife Learn is sent to the volunteer with information regarding how to complete the background check through Sterling Volunteers. 

6. Sterling Volunteers.  The volunteer goes to the Sterling Volunteers website from the provided link, creates an account, and submits their information. The same email address used for the EVS application and AgriLife Learn should be used with Sterling Volunteers.    

7. Background Check Completed.  Once completed, the background check reports are sent to the EVS office for review. 

8. Database Update.  The EVS database is updated to reflect the volunteer’s screening status.  County Extension Agents and local staff can login to the EVS database to access volunteer applications and screening status.  If county staff needs login information, contact the EVS office.

For employees: All of this information is posted on the employee intranet on the Volunteerism page.  You are able to share the links to the recorded training sessions and videos with your volunteers if you'd like.  I would encourage you to read through all of it and watch at least one of the training sessions we recorded. 

https://agnettamu0.sharepoint.com/sites/Extension/SitePages/EmployeeResources/Volunteerism/home.aspx

Master Gardeners are able to received up to three hours of continuing education after completing the Master Volunteers course in AgriLife Learn.

However, verify with your local County Extension Agent to ensure they are awarding the continuing education hours for your county.

You may have noticed that the existing volunteers that were screened prior to August 2022 who were imported into the EVS Application System do not have email addresses associated with their names.  That is because when we were using our previous background check company, we did not collect email address information. 

Yes, you can add email addresses can be added to volunteers’ records in EVS.  However, please note that when you update one field, ALL the required fields will also be needed to be updated. The required fields on the application are:

• Program Info:
  • County, Program Area
• Contact Details:
  • First and Last Name, Email, Phone, Mailing Address 1, City, State, Zip
• Demographics: Date of Birth, Gender, Race, Ethnicity
• Experience:
  • 5 application questions

The Demographics and Experience sections will be the sections you would need to complete because the other information will already be in system.  On the experience questions, you could just type something like "n/a" and that would be ok.

Yes, your existing volunteers that are expiring will need to submit a new application as they are nearing their expiration date.

• Yes, you are correct.  It will create a duplicate listing of their name in EVS Application System. 
• When their background check expires, their existing (aka old) listing will be automatically changed to Inactive status. 
• The default when you search will be for Active status volunteers.  (It may not be set that way just yet, but I have made that request with the programmers.)
• So there may be a period of time where both of the records for the volunteer will show as active. 
• If you don’t want to wait until the volunteer’s record automatically turns to Inactive, we can manually switch the old record to Inactive once the new record is Active.
• The volunteer’s record becomes Active when the new background check report comes back and the Screening status is change to Approved or Restricted.
• They will do this every three years. 

Information EVS received from AgriLife Learn (8/29/2023):

Any group that has a federal ID number can use the invoice option.  Once the order has been placed, AgriLife Learn will reach out to the customer asking them to complete the customer information form which requires the federal ID number.  There have been some Master Gardener Associations who have already done this, so it should not be a problem for most of our external support groups. 

Be sure that when you mail in the check, you include the invoice and include the invoice number as a reference on the check.  Also, please note that the course cannot be accessed until the payment has been received and processed.  The AgriLife Learn website says to allows at least 5 days, so be sure you allow at least that much time, if not more. 

Here is a video that shows the steps and options of purchasing from AgriLife Learn:

https://youtu.be/Qi19Dj7BF_I

The feature is not live yet (8/23/2023), but yes, there will be an automated email sent to volunteers 60 days prior to their background check expiring. 

• If the volunteer has an email in the database, they will be sent any email notifications/reminders.
  • However, as you may have realized, the “old” volunteers who were screened before August 2022 do not have email addresses in the system because we didn’t collect that information before then.
  • So, no.  Those volunteers will not receive email notifications if they do not have an email address in the database. 

• Although, because they are in the database, someone with a Manager login can add those email addresses to the volunteers’ records.  Then, they would be sent those notification emails. (See the above FAQ titled, "Is there a way to add email addresses to our existing volunteers in EVS Application System?" to see more details about updating an existing record.)

• Or, someone with a Manager login can pull a report of those volunteers who have expired background checks (or are nearing expiration) and send them a note using the email addresses you have for them in your local files. 

Before you complete the bulk purchase, volunteers will need to input their information in the EVS Application System. The individuals can do this themselves or the county may enter the information on behalf of the volunteer.  (Note.  There are questions on the form in the Experience section. If these do not apply to your volunteers, feel free to type n/a.)

After submitting their information and the county approves each application, the volunteers will receive automated emails from EVS giving them the course link.  Please tell them NOT to use this link, rather use the information that you will give them from the bulk purchase below. They don’t want to have to purchase the course twice!

The bulk purchasing of the course can be done through a link that the EVS office can provide you.  Let us know when you’re ready for it and we can send it to you.  The reason you would need to contact us for the link is because the course is a “hidden course” in AgriLife Learn.  You cannot just search and find the course.  We have to provide you with that link.  

Here are some instructions that may be helpful to you:

The AgriLife Learn FAQ page has a video that shows the steps of how to conduct a bulk purchase:

• https://cdn-de.agrilife.org/extension/global/Assigning-and-redeeming-seats-video.mp4

I also created a video about making the purchase through AgriLife Learn:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi19Dj7BF_I

If you are going to upload all of your volunteers’ information with the csv file, here is the file you can download:

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/17J6_AmLwCVy0mv-_uwa7SIyb8ldJU9DK/view?usp=sharing

Be sure your volunteers know NOT TO USE the link in the email they receive after the county approves their enrollment from the EVS database.  They will need to use the information from you about “redeeming their seat.”  After you assign the seat, they will receive an email from AgriLife Learn with instructions and a link.  After clicking the link, the volunteer will either login or create a new profile with AgriLife Learn.  The same email address used for the EVS application should be used with AgriLife Learn. (Please note this is separate from a VMS login for reporting hours.)

Here is some information about “redeeming seats” in AgriLife Learn:

On the FAQ page on AgriLife Learn it says once you assign them their seat, they will receive an email from AgriLife Learn. 

• https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/contactsupport

Here are the details:

Redeeming a Seat

1. You will receive an email from AgriLife Learn at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  
2. Click the link your email that states "Redeem Seats"
3. You will be taken to our website to login, then you will see all the seats you have been assigned
4. Next to the seat you want to redeem, click the checkbox then click “Redeem Seats”
5. Once you click "Redeem Seats," your status will show "Redeemed"
6. Under the "Product D2L Course" section, click the link to your course and you will be taken to your homepage to begin

If you have questions specific to the AgriLife Learn platform, please reach out to them.  They can provide the technical support needed. 

• https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/contactsupport

Once the volunteers complete the course, they will be provided with the information to complete the background check through Sterling Volunteers.

The “old” process can be used through August 31, 2023. (So during the month of August, we have both the old and new processes available.) The most important part is that the Excel file and the check are physically received in the EVS office by August 31.

For the “old” process, the Excel spreadsheet can be sent any time before August 31, 2023.

During the month of August 2023:
• Using the old process, the fee is $10.
• Using the new process, the fee will be $12.

Beginning September 1, 2023, the old process will no longer be available.

The $12 is an application fee, not a background check fee.  The background check is one of the components included in the fee.  The training is another component of that fee.  Volunteers only pay $12 once every three years when they complete the application, training, and background check processes. 

Volunteers who still have a valid background check are “good” until their background check expires (3 years from date of last background check). So for example, if a volunteer’s background check doesn’t expire until sometime in 2024, then he/she can wait until then to get a background check again and will utilize the new process at that time.

Yes. The volunteers screened using any previous process who still have a valid background check in July 2023 were transferred into the new database. If you find someone who you think is missing, please contact the EVS office so we may look through the files for correction and verification.

If you have any volunteers screened during the time frame of mid-July through August 31, 2023 (using the emails in the Excel spreadsheet process), they may not be in the new database immediately. They will be added to update the system once the old process has ended.