Insurance that protects the mission behind your non-profit

Directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance covers the people who govern your organization. If a board member makes a financial decision that goes sideways, or a donor or creditor alleges mismanagement, a lawsuit can name the individual board members personally alongside the organization. D&O coverage pays the legal defense costs and any covered damages for directors, officers, trustees, and in most policies the entity itself. Non-profits often operate on tight budgets with no reserve to absorb a contested lawsuit, which makes this coverage foundational rather than optional.

General liability coverage protects your organization when a third party claims bodily injury or property damage caused by your operations or your premises. A visitor who slips on a wet entry floor, a child who trips at your community event, a volunteer who accidentally damages a donor's property while making a pickup: these are the kinds of claims general liability is built to handle. The policy covers both the cost of legal defense and any damages the organization is found responsible to pay, regardless of whether the claim ultimately has merit.

Employment practices liability insurance covers claims that arise from the employment relationship: wrongful termination, workplace harassment, discrimination allegations, and similar disputes. Non-profits are not exempt from these claims simply because their employees share a mission. The coverage applies to both paid staff and, depending on the policy form, volunteers who work in a staff-like capacity. EPLI also covers the cost of defense, which can run well into five figures even when the claim is dismissed early.

Commercial property insurance covers the physical assets your organization owns or leases: your building if you own it, your office equipment, furniture, fixtures, and inventory of supplies or donated goods. If a fire, theft, or covered disaster forces you to close temporarily, business income coverage steps in to replace the operating revenue you would have generated during the interruption and pays ongoing fixed expenses like utilities that keep running even when your doors are closed. For a non-profit, lost operating income can mean paused programs and lapsed service contracts, not just a revenue gap.

If one of your employees is injured or becomes ill because of work, workers' compensation covers their medical treatment and a portion of lost wages while they recover. Idaho requires workers' compensation for virtually all employers with at least one employee, and Texas has its own rules for non-subscriber employers. The coverage requirements can also vary by the physical locations where your staff works and where they were hired, so organizations that operate across multiple sites need to verify compliance for each one. Bittick reviews your payroll and locations to make sure your workers' comp structure is correct.