Business insurance for charities


A tailored business insurance policy can underwrite many of the risks a charity faces, helping philanthropic organisations to focus on the causes and communities they support.

Whether you belong to a charity or non-profit organisation, day-to-day activities likely involve interacting with people, including employees, volunteers, fundraisers and those who receive your aid.

Sometimes things don’t go to plan, however, and these groups can be affected, no matter how devoted your organisation is to doing good. If a volunteer or fundraiser is hurt due to your activities, legal action could be brought against your charity or non-profit group.

Tailoring charity cover to include insurance such as public liability, employers’ liability and property cover could help you withstand a range of challenges by replacing equipment or helping with legal fees.

 

Online quote in 5 minutes

Get a quote

 

Why choose Hiscox for charity insurance?


1

From £8.40 a month*

Our quotes for small business insurance start at £8.40 a month and we’ll work with you to identify the right cover

*Figures based on an average of all business insurance policies sold to at least 10% of our customer base between October 2022 and September 2023

2

A flexible approach

With Hiscox, you can make unlimited changes to your policy and make monthly payments, if that works for you

3

Award-winning service

We're here to support your charity at every turn. In fact, Hiscox is a proud winner of the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service award in 2023.

Get a quote for your business in minutes

Tell us about your business – We’ll help you to build your quote and explore your insurance needs.

Get a quote

Why do charities need insurance?


An injured customer

A customer visits your shop to browse the latest intake of items and trips on an uneven floorboard on their way out. Unfortunately, X-rays show the fall resulted in a broken wrist, meaning your customer is unable to work for at least six weeks. Due to this, they decide to claim against your charity. Having public liability as part of your charity insurance helps with defence costs and can even pay a resulting settlement.

Illness in the office

One of your employees begins to complain of respiratory problems that are exacerbated by simply coming into work. After investigating the issue, it emerges that your employee’s illness has been caused by cleaning products not being stored in the correct way. Even though this mishap may not be your fault, the individual could still take sick leave and file a negligence claim against your charity. For cases such as this, employers’ liability insurance helps to cover legal costs and compensation.

Volunteer mistake

One of your new volunteers is keen to get involved with organising a fundraising event and sets to work sending emails to gather interest and build excitement. Unfortunately, they accidentally attach confidential information to one of the email threads without prior consent, exposing your charity to risk. A breach of confidence complaint is filed against your organisation, forcing you into legal proceedings. By tailoring your charity insurance to include professional indemnity cover, you’ll be protected for court attendance and, if relevant, compensation payments.

What is included in insurance for charities?


Other relevant products for a tailored charity policy could include professional indemnity, public liability, and employers’ liability, which is sometimes a requirement. Available cover can also depend on the type of charity – speak to Hiscox about your charity to understand what’s available to you.

Not sure what you need?

If you’re not sure what you need, tell us a little more about your charity or not-for-profit organisation. We’ll help you to build your quote and explore any other insurance needs.

Build my cover
Very easy to scope and arrange cover. Simple set up and payment plan.
Timothy John Salmon
Read all reviews

Insurance for charities: FAQs


What is trustee liability insurance?

A trustee liability policy is an insurance product designed to protect trustees of a charity or club. It can also provide cover for others such as governors and committee members.

This insurance helps cover the cost of defending or settling claims for trustees in several circumstances, including defamation charges or breaches of trust. Also covered are employee injury or death at work where the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 or the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007 have been breached.

Head to the Hiscox trustee liability insurance page to learn more about what the cover involves.

Why do charities need employers’ liability insurance?

UK law (external link) dictates that many organisations which employ staff require employers’ liability insurance. This rule includes charities employing full-time staff and volunteers, so even if you only have one member of staff or a single volunteer, this could still apply to your organisation.

Working for a charity can be rewarding and volunteering is taken on with the best of intentions. However, anyone could encounter risks while carrying out their role – whether it’s a back injury from carrying boxes of leaflets, or eye strain from too much computer work. Employers’ liability helps to protect your charity.

Do charities need property insurance?

Yes, property cover might be an important product to build into your charity insurance – whether your organisation owns or rents its office buildings or support centres.

This place could be vulnerable to damage resulting from extreme weather, fire or a break-in by criminals, so buildings insurance can bring valuable reassurance if you own the premises, while office insurance can help if you rent. If such an event were to strike, this product funds repairs, investigations and emergency services costs, helping to reduce the cost in terms of both money and time. Safeguard the property within your premises - such as computers, documents and furniture - by adding office contents cover too.


What types of insurance do charities need?

No two charitable organisations are the same – that’s why we help you to tailor cover specific to your circumstances. Identify the types of insurance a charity might need here.

What’s the difference between a charity and a non-profit?

Struggling to distinguish between charities and non-profits is common – use this Hiscox guide to the difference between a charity and a non-profit to gain some clarity.

So, you want to be a social entrepreneur?

Discover what it means to be a social entrepreneur in this article – from finding an idea to financing your venture to marketing.