Frequently asked questions for not-for-profit organisations
From small voluntary groups to large social enterprises, our specialist service is designed to provide tailor-made protection from the specific risks that you face. We run through some of the most commonly asked questions to help you choose the right insurance for your charity, club or not-for-profit organisation.
Frequently asked questions
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Queries about my password
I've forgotten my password
Simply click on the 'Forgotten Password' link on the log in screen. A secure link will be sent to your registered email. Please follow the link, where it will ask you to enter a new password.
I'm trying to reset my password but it says the new one is invalid
Your password needs to be eight or more characters long and should include at least one capital letter and one number.
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Queries about my quote
I’m trying to get a new quote but it says the email address is already registered
You may have requested a quote from us in the past, registering your email address. You can still get a quote, but you will need to log in to your account first to get a new quote, and check your details are correct. If you do not know your password, you can reset it by entering your email address on the ‘Forgotten Password’ screen.
I’ve answered the questions online, but then a screen appeared to request a call back. Why is this?
Don’t worry, this just means that we need to talk to you in a little more detail to understand what your organisation does before we can provide a quote. To find out more please call one of our team on 0800 917 9420.
Can I come back to my quote later?
Yes. Simply click the ‘Save Quote’ button at the bottom of the screen and the quote will be saved to your account.
You will also be sent a copy of your quote via email with instructions on how to retrieve your quote and complete your purchase. If you don’t receive the email, please check your junk/spam folders.
Alternatively, you can retrieve your quote by logging in to your account.
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Queries about my cover
Does my charity or not-for-profit organisation need Public Liability cover?
Public Liability cover should be considered if your organisation (its volunteers and employees) come into contact with the public and other organisations. This cover protects you against claims which could be made against you for accidental personal injury you cause to individuals, and accidental damage you cause to a third party’s property. You can read more about Public Liability cover on our website and use our ’10 questions to make buying insurance simple’ guide to help decide what insurance you need.
What is my ‘annual income’?
Your annual income is the total amount of money which you get during the year, from donations, grants, subscriptions, fundraising etc. This is the money you use to cover the costs of running your organisation. Remember, if your grant is for more than a year then you should share it out across the period, so if you have a three year grant for £900 then your annual income (from the grant) is £300.
What do you mean by ‘Events’? What is an Event?
Members-only meetings or activities are not classed as events unless there are more than 100 people attending. Any occasion involving non-members is classified as an event. This can include fundraising activities, fetes, fun days, discos, carnivals, parades, festivals etc.
Do I need Employers’ Liability cover for volunteers?
Not necessarily. Volunteers are covered under our Employers' Liability cover. However if you have no true employees you may decide that you are happy with the cover we provide for volunteers under our Public Liability cover. Our public liability provides cover for claims for:
- Personal Injury caused to the volunteer as a result of their duties for your organisation
- Personal Injury caused by the volunteer to another individual as a result of their duties for or your organisation
- Property Damage caused by the volunteer to a third party’s property as a result of their duties for or your organisation
Are my committee members, trustees and service users covered under my Public Liability cover?
Yes, under our Public Liability cover, your committee members, trustees and service users are covered.
For committee members and trustees we provide cover for claims for:
- Personal Injury caused to them as a result of their duties for or your organisation
- Personal Injury caused by them to another individual as a result of their duties for or your organisation
- Property Damage caused by them to a third party’s property as a result of their duties for or your organisation
For service users we provide cover for claims for:
- Personal Injury caused to them by your organisation’s actions
- Property Damage caused to their property as a result of your organisation’s actions
Am I eligible for the £89 fixed price insurance?
Our £89 fixed price insurance is available to many organisations with an income of less than £100,000. It only takes a few minutes to answer the questions online and see if you are eligible for the £89 fixed price. If you are unsure about the answer to any questions, or if you would prefer to speak to us, you can call one of friendly team on 0800 917 9420 for a quote.
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Queries about my policy
I want to make changes to my policy
You can request changes to your policy online; simply log in to your account.
Alternatively you can call us on 0800 917 9531 to speak to one of your team and request your change.
How do I access my policy documents?
When you buy a policy we will immediately email you all the necessary documents including a policy schedule, receipt or invoice and, if applicable, an Employer’s Liability certificate. If you have a live policy with us, you can also access your documents at any time via your online account.
Where can I find the full Zurich policy document?
You can view our policy documents on our ‘Support and resources’ page. Alternatively, if you have quote or a policy, you can find a copy of the policy wording in your personal online account.
How do I make a claim?
You can make a claim by calling us, emailing us or writing to us. First please visit our Make a claim page so that you can find the right team to handle your claim as quickly as possible.
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Queries about my renewal
I want to renew but my policy has expired
If you have logged into your account and the ‘Retrieve/Renew Policy’ option is unavailable this means that your policy has expired and you will need to take out a new policy. To do this, please click ‘Get a New Quote’ on the top left of the screen. We’re sorry, but policies cannot be backdated.
Can I renew my insurance policy online?
Yes. We understand that insurance is not always top of your list of things to do, so we’ll email you a few weeks before your policy is due to expire, making it clear how you can renew. Renewal will take less time than buying a new policy, so you can get back to what matters most – running your organisation.
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General queries
Can I have multiple policies for different companies under my one email address?
There can only be one organisation per email address. If you would like another policy, you will need to set up a new account with a separate email address. Otherwise the details of your existing policy will be changed to your new policy.
What payment methods do you accept?
For online policies, we accept payment by all major debit and credit cards, but we are not able to accept payment by cheque or direct debit. If your organisation can only pay by cheque there are two options; you could pay using a personal debit card and then claim the cost back, alternatively you can speak to one of our team on 0800 917 9420 for more information.
10 questions to help you decide what insurance is right for your organisation
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Do you have volunteers or interact with the public?
Your organisation has a duty of care to third parties under various legislation acts. If your organisation interacts with third parties, including the public, other organisations, volunteers and service users, you should consider Public Liability cover. This provides cover if your organisation is found to be legally liable for accidental injury to a third party or damage to their property. For example, if someone trips over a loose cable at your fundraising event and breaks their leg, you could be held legally responsible for compensation awards. We automatically provide a minimum of £5,000,000 Public liability cover and include cover for volunteers.
Cover also includes:
- Products Liability cover, required if you make or sell goods.
- Costs incurred in defending any prosecution under the General Data Protection Regulation 2018, Property Owners Liability, Consumer Protection Act 1987 and Health and Safety at Work Act.
- Cover whilst members of your organisation are on temporary visits abroad whilst carrying out business activities on behalf of your organisation.
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Do you have trustees that need indemnity protection?
If you have a board of trustees, committee members or directors, they could be held personally responsible for financial loss or reputational damage to your organisation if they act outside of their authority. For example, if a trustee approves renovation work after the promise of a grant, which is then never received, the builders could sue the trustee(s) for payment. To protect against this, you should consider Directors & Officers cover (also known as Trustee Indemnity cover). This policy covers the cost of compensation claims made against trustees by shareholders, investors, employees, regulators or third parties where civil, criminal or regulatory proceedings are brought against them. This cover is part of our Financial and Administrative Liability section of cover. Within this section, you can also add Crime cover, to protect against fraudulent activity from employees and third parties, and Corporate Liability cover to protect your organisation against criminal proceedings and other financial loss. Providing Directors & Offices cover can help attract and retain trustees.
Cover also includes:
- Protection against maladministration of funds (excluding pension funds).
- Cover for breach of duty, trust and authority.
- Damage and claimants’ costs.
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Do you have employees?
If you have employees, it is a legal requirement to have a minimum of £5,000,000 of Employers’ Liability cover. This protects you if you are found legally liable for injury (including illness and death) caused to an employee whilst they are carrying out their work duties. It also provides cover if you need to defend yourselves against actions taken for breaches of Health & Safety regulations. Our cover provides a minimum of £10,000,000 Employers’ Liability cover.
Cover also includes:
- Damages and legal costs relating to the employee’s injury.
- People on work experience with your organisation.
- Compensation for court attendance as a witness in connection with a claim under this cover.
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Do you own or use motor vehicles?
Motor insurance is a legal requirement if your organisation owns or leases any motor vehicles. Comprehensive, Third Party Fire and Theft and Third Party Only cover options are available. Our motor cover will cover any legal age, any mileage and any driver.
Cover also includes:
- Cover for claims from third parties for personal injury or loss or damage to their property.
- Cover for loss or damage to your vehicles, if Comprehensive cover is chosen.
- Legal expenses and motor uninsured loss recovery service following a claim up to £100,000.
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Are you responsible for premises which you hire out?
If you hire out your premises to private individuals, Hirers Liability cover is worth considering. If the hirer of your premises doesn’t have their own Public Liability insurance, this cover will enable you to claim for the cost of repairs if they damage your property during the period of hire. It also protects the hirer if they cause personal injury to someone during the period of the hire. Cover does not apply to business or political hiring’s. We can provide up to £5,000,000 of Hirer’s Liability cover for injury claims.
Cover also includes:
- Cover under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide act 2007.
- Cover against legal costs in defending the hirer against criminal proceedings from alleged breaches of the Health and Safety at Work act 1974, Part II of the Food Safety Act 1990, and Part II of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
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Do you have buildings and contents that you want to protect?
If you own (or are legally responsible for) a building, and assets within a building, you can insure these under Material Damage cover. You can purchase Buildings and Contents insurance to protect your assets from damage caused by things like fire, theft, accidental damage and damage by storm or flood. Our policy is sold on an “All Risks” basis so you don’t need to specify the circumstances that you want to insure against. Check our policy document for more information. We will automatically increase your sums insured each year to account for inflation.
Cover also includes:
- £25,000 to cover fire extinguisher expenses.
- £5,000 to cover accidental breakage of fixed glass.
- £15,000 to cover accidental escape of metered water as a consequence of damage.
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Can your organisation run if your buildings are damaged?
As well as protecting your buildings and contents, you may also wish to protect against costs or loss of income caused by damage to your buildings under our Business Interruption cover. You can choose to protect your organisation from:
- Additional Expenses incurred as a result of your building being damaged such as renting alternative premises.
- Loss of Revenue if your main income is generated from the building.
- Loss of Rent if the building generates rental income from tenants/hires.
Business Interruption cover enables you to implement your disaster recovery plan and continue your services.
Cover also includes:
- £100,000 of cover against loss of Outstanding Debit Balances.
- £5,000 for the recovery of computer data.
- £25,000 for reduction in revenue resulting from the death of your patron or them being subject to a criminal investigation.
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Does your organisation handle money?
If you handle money, take money to the bank and/or if you have an overnight safe on your premises, you might want to consider Money cover. This will protect you if money is stolen whilst in the supervision of your employees or volunteers, in your safe, or in transit to the bank. Money cover includes notes, coins, crossed cheques, postal orders and postage stamps.
Cover also includes:
- £5,000 for the replacement of safe or strongroom locks.
- Replacement cost of franking machines, safes, strongroom or security cases damaged as a result of a theft or attempted theft.
- Personal accident cover of £25,000 for people who have been assaulted while entrusted with security.
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Is it possible you might need legal help?
If it is possible that you could have action brought against you in relation to employment disputes, discrimination or other legal actions, you might want to consider Legal Expenses cover. We will appoint a solicitor to advise and represent you and pay the solicitors fees. You can extend cover to include contract disputes and debt recovery.
Cover also includes:
- Legal defence costs for specific situations.
- Property protection and bodily injury.
- Access to a 24/7 legal helpline.
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Does your building have a boiler or other plant equipment?
It is a legal requirement to have certain equipment inspected, such as lifts, at regular intervals (defined by the legislation). We can provide these inspections with our Engineering Inspection offering. We can also inspect equipment that does not have a legal requirement for inspection to ensure it is safe and fit for purpose. If we carry out your inspections, you can also add Engineering Insurance cover. This protects you in the event that your equipment fails and causes damage to itself or damage to ‘own surrounding property'. You can also choose to add cover for deterioration of stock for items stored in fridges or freezers.
Cover also includes:
- Damage to the equipment and the ‘own surrounding property’ up to £1,000,000.
- Reasonable additional costs necessary up to £50,000 to carry out temporary repairs.
- The cost of removing debris.