Trustee indemnity insurance

Who needs trustee indemnity insurance?

It’s not just trustees who need trustee insurance. That’s because not all not-for-profits have what they call ‘trustees’.

Anyone accountable for the way their charity, club or community group is run should have trustee indemnity insurance. That means trustees, directors, governors, committee members, officers, and any other key decision-makers.

Call them what you like, they’re the guardians of your organisation’s wellbeing and its future. Staying on top of things, making informed choices, and acting within the rules are all part and parcel of the role.

And if things do go wrong, then it’s them who carry the can. It’s what puts them directly in the line of fire for claims of wrongdoing and negligence.

Why do you need trustee insurance?

Because good intentions alone aren’t enough. As someone in a position of responsibility, you can be sued personally if someone says your organisation has questions to answer.

That puts your personal finances on the line, considering you’ll have to pay for a lawyer and cover any fines and compensation. Plus, you have to deal with a claim whether it’s justified or not.

Trustee indemnity insurance gives you peace of mind knowing your defence and other costs are covered if an accusation is made and taken further.

Offering it as standard can even help attract trustees and officers to your organisation. Making insurance cover part of the deal can give people the extra push they need to come on board.

How does trustee indemnity insurance protect you?

Trustee indemnity insurance covers you if someone says you’re solely or partly responsible for a wrongful act such as a breach of trust, a breach of duty, negligence, or defamation. The accusation can come from within your own organisation or from a third party.

Here’s some scenarios where trustee insurance can help:

• A sports club has a fundraising drive to buy new equipment. A series of events over the course of a year raises a considerable sum. But the trustees decide to use the money to refurbish the bar and lounge area where they hold their meetings instead. A club member sues for misuse of funds.
• A community group is left a tract of land in a will. The group builds on it, but a neighbouring landowner disputes whether the legacy gift was ever the donor’s to give. An investigation reveals the plot wasn’t legally held by the donor and the group is ordered to pay costs and hand it back in its original state.
• A trustee speaks to a journalist at a function. Thinking the conversation is off the record, he criticises the activities of another charity and makes allegations about their chair of trustees. The journalist publishes the comments, and both the charity and the trustees’ chair sue for defamation.

How do you get trustee indemnity insurance?

The Charities Act says not-for-profits can pay for trustee indemnity insurance out of their own funds. Or individuals can buy their own policy, which covers them across all the organisations they work with.

If you’re in the market to buy trustee insurance, you can either do it through a broker, or buy direct from an insurer. Brokers like us have the advantage of being able to point you towards the policy that’s best for you.

You can also choose whether to buy online, or over the phone. A simple online journey like ours lets you buy a policy in a few clicks, with documents delivered to your inbox.

Or, if you’d rather chat things through, you can call our team of friendly advisors.

What other insurance might I need?

Public liability insurance covers you for bodily or property damage arising from slips, trips, falls, and other mishaps said to be your fault. Covers your events and fundraisers too.

Employers’ and volunteers’ liability insurance covers your employees, volunteers, and helpers if they’re hurt or made ill by doing what they do for you. It’s legally required if you have staff.

Property and contents insurance covers your equipment and kit if it’s lost, damaged or stolen, including portables like laptops and cameras.

Cyber insurance pays to get you back on your feet again quickly after a cyber-attack or data breach and helps deal with the fallout.

Legal expenses insurance covers you for legal disputes including employment, tax, debt recovery and contractual issues.

Why should I buy my insurance from you?

Plenty of reasons, really. But we’ll start with the fact we’re not-for-profit insurance specialists. Plus, we only use trusted insurers like Ansvar and Hiscox.

We can hold your hand as much as you like through the buying process and advise you all you want by phone. Or you can go the easy online route and get a policy in minutes.

Either way, you’ll get the cover you need and nothing you don’t, with no admin fees, no jargon, and no fuss.

Plus, we give you extras, like free flexible online training with Flick Learning in important areas like safeguarding, health & safety, and data handling.

And if you still need convincing, take a look at our platinum-rated customer feedback. We think it speaks for itself.