Nonprofits, churches, and youth organizations across Georgia rely heavily on volunteers. That’s often a good thing, but it can also expose these groups to legal risk when something goes wrong. If a volunteer harms someone and the organization didn’t take reasonable steps to vet or supervise them, the board may be held responsible.
This post explains how Georgia law handles these situations, especially when there are no formal HR controls in place.
When Volunteers Create Legal Risk
Even unpaid volunteers can expose an organization to legal claims. Georgia recognizes vicarious liability, meaning an organization can be held responsible for the actions of its agents, including volunteers, if they were acting within the scope of duties the group controlled.
Separate from that, boards may face direct negligence claims for failing to screen, supervise, or remove someone they knew, or should have known, posed a risk.
Volunteer Protections Don’t Shield the Organization
The Volunteer Protection Act (VPA) gives individual volunteers some immunity for accidents or ordinary mistakes. But that protection does not extend to the organization itself.
Nonprofits and their boards aren’t immune from lawsuits when there’s evidence of negligent oversight, especially if money changed hands or the harm was preventable.
What Counts as “Notice”?
In court, one of the key questions is: Did the organization have notice of a problem? That might mean prior complaints, boundary violations, or warning signs in plain sight.
Georgia courts have held that boards must act when risks are foreseeable. If the same volunteer had issues in the past and nothing was done, that becomes evidence of negligence.
How These Cases Are Proven
When we handle these claims, we look for missing screening forms, skipped background checks, lack of training, and absent supervision logs. If there were no written policies or documentation showing that someone was watching over the volunteers, that could be enough to prove the board failed in its duty.
We Help Families Hold Boards Accountable
At The Williams Litigation Group, we represent people harmed by negligence, especially when nonprofits or boards look the other way. If you believe an organization failed to properly screen or supervise someone who caused harm, call us at 1-866-214-7036.