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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, began circulating in humans in late 2019 and quickly spread worldwide. Previous research on coronaviruses found that bats may be broadly susceptible to these types of pathogens. As a result, research was necessary to determine how likely it was that humans infected with the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus could infect bats and what researchers could do to prevent that from happening. Bats are an important taxon in North America and provide billions of dollars in ecosystem services, such as pollination and pest control. They are also suffering from another disease, white-nose syndrome, that has caused some populations to decline by as much as 90%. To reduce the risk of a new disease in bats that might cause further declines or create new viruses that threaten humans, we completed a series of risk assessments using decision science, expert knowledge, and existing human-based studies of COVID-19 to develop a mathematical model of disease spillover risk. We used it to help researchers understand and identify risky situations for disease transmission and to evaluate protective measures that can help reduce bat exposure and potential infection. Overall, we found that the risk of transmission was low and that face coverings, COVID-19 testing, and vaccination efforts could further reduce those risks. Risk reductions may allow for critical conservation activities, such as research to reduce the effects of white-nose syndrome, to continue.