What is charity insurance and why is it needed?
Business insurance for charities provides essential cover, taking care of the times when things don’t go according to plan.
If a volunteer is injured at work, a trustee is accused of negligence or a fundraiser is hurt at an event, charity insurance can help you avoid expense and reputational damage.
For a charity, insurance is vital when it comes to being covered for the unexpected.
Ascend charity insurance will provide cover against a vast range of risks including:
-Accidents involving a visitor at a fundraising event
-Accidents whilst providing aid to a service user
-An allegation of wrongdoing against a charity trustee or a volunteer
-A volunteer injuring themselves
-Property damage
Claims arise at unexpected times, that’s why our experience in charity insurance is so important.
Tell us about your charity – we’ll help you to build your specific cover requirements and will highlight the differences in any insurers quotations.
Why you need insurance for volunteers
Employing volunteers has similar risks to paid staff. They will be working for you charity with the best intentions however, like paid employees, there are risks.
The Charities Commission sets out that all volunteers should be treated the same as paid employees. By law, employers’ liability must be sourced to protect employees, so why should cover for volunteers be any different?
Examples of possible cases:
– Steven, a charity volunteer, damages a third party’s property during a fundraiser. The third party can sue against the charity for damages, under the public liability section of a policy.
– Charlie, a charity volunteer, injures himself whilst working for the charity. The volunteer can sue the charity for damages under the employer’s liability section of a policy.
– Ollie, a charity volunteer, is carrying out some maintenance in the charity’s building, but causes damage to the building. This will be claimed on the charity’s building insurance rather than a volunteer being sued for damages.
Why does your charity need trustees insurance?
Trustee liability insurance, also known as trustees indemnity insurance, offers financial protection against any claims for compensation made against trustees of charities. In key charity posts, there’s a heightened level of responsibility and public accountability. Trustee liability cover offers protection if a volunteer, service recipient or member of the public claims a trustee has acted wrongfully. This type of insurance is vital for charities.
Trustees indemnity insurance is titled differently but provides the same cover as Directors and Officers Insurance. We go into much greater detail on this on the Directors and Officers Insurance page of our website.
- Animal Rights, Welfare, and Services
- Wildlife Conservation
- Zoos and Aquariums
- Early Childhood Programmes and Services
- Youth Education Programmes and Services
- Scholarship and Financial Support
- Children’s and Family Services
- Homeless Services
- Social Services
- Museums
- Performing Arts
- Public Broadcasting and Media
- Environmental Protection and Conservation
- Botanical Gardens, Parks, and Nature Centres
- Ascend Forest
- Development and Relief Services
- International Peace, Security, and Affairs
- Humanitarian Relief Supplies
- Community Foundations
- Community Help Schemes
- Local Community Buildings
- Diseases, Disorders, and Disciplines
- Patient and Family Support
- Treatment and Prevention Services
- Religious Activities
- Religious Media
- Religious Broadcasting
FAQs about Charity Insurance
Trustees, directors, officers, committee members and governors of public organisations can be held personally responsible for decisions and actions made on behalf of their organisation. They may also be sued or prosecuted for any mistakes, and their consequences, during the performance of their duties. If you hold one of these roles, you need trustee indemnity insurance.
- Your insurance could include employers’ and charity public liability insurance, plus medical malpractice, abuse insurance, trustee indemnity insurance, professional indemnity insurance, event insurance, motor insurance, personal accident insurance, business interruption insurance, buildings and contents insurance, hirers’ liability insurance, travel insurance for meetings or missionary work, cyber insurance, third-party hacking and scamming, fidelity guarantee, health and safety disputes and legal expenses cover.
What services do we offer?
- Friendly and professional service
- Award-winning claims team
- Claims mobile app
- Experts in reducing cost
- 32 years professional experience
- Transparent
- Independent
- Wide insurer panel
- No call centres
- Dedicated contacts
- No office closures
- No policy fees
Stuart Belbin Cert CII
Please contact Stuart Belbin, who heads our charity division, for all charity enquiries. Stuart has been specialising in EPL Insurance for a number of years and would be more than happy to discuss your needs. Stuart’s contact details can be found below or, if you would prefer, please complete the contact form at the bottom of this page and Stuart will contact you at your convenience.
Account Executive
M: 07736956221 E: stuart.belbin@ascendbroking.co.uk
