Non-Profits, Associations & Legions
Non-Profit Insurance
Insurance for the societies, community and industry associations, and Legions that hold Alberta together.
Non-profit and association insurance is a package built for organizations run by volunteers and boards: directors and officers liability that protects the personal assets of the people who serve, commercial general liability for members, the public, and the events you host, property coverage for the hall or building you own, and crime coverage for the funds that pass through volunteer hands. For Legions and any group that serves alcohol at a licensed hall or a special event, it also includes liquor liability, and for organizations working with youth or vulnerable people, abuse liability. Society, community league, industry or trade association, service club, or Legion branch, the right program protects the mission, the money, and the volunteers behind it. Velocity builds these programs for non-profits and associations across Alberta.
The Exposure
Risks you face.
A non-profit runs on volunteers, member events, and money it holds in trust for a purpose. Its exposures span the board, the building, and the people it brings together.
Claims against your volunteer board
Volunteer directors make decisions about money, employment, and how the organization is run, and members, staff, or funders can name them personally when they disagree. Without directors and officers coverage, board members put their own assets at risk to serve.
Injuries at events and on your premises
Meetings, fundraisers, tournaments, and community events bring members and the public onto your property or into rented space. A slip, a fall, or an injury at an event can become a liability claim against the organization.
Serving alcohol at a hall or event
Legions and many associations serve alcohol, whether in a licensed lounge or under a special-event licence. If a patron is over-served and someone is hurt, the organization can be held responsible, which is what liquor liability is built to answer.
Working with youth or vulnerable people
Organizations that run programs for children, seniors, or vulnerable people carry an abuse and molestation exposure that a standard liability policy limits or excludes. It is a difficult risk to talk about, and an essential one to cover where it applies.
Theft or misuse of the organization’s funds
Non-profits hold membership dues, grants, and event proceeds, often handled by volunteers and rotating treasurers. Theft, fraud, and forgery are real exposures, and a loss can set a small organization back years.
Damage to the hall, and lost use
For groups that own a hall or building, fire, water, and weather can close the space that hosts your events and, for some, generates rental income. The building, its contents, and that income all need protecting.
The Protection
Coverages we recommend.
Directors & Officers Liability
Can protect the personal assets of your volunteer board against claims arising from their decisions, from finances and employment to how the organization is governed. The coverage that makes it safe for people to serve on your board.
Commercial General Liability
Can cover injury or property damage to members, guests, and the public at your premises and your events. In today’s climate $2 million is the standard minimum limit, and facilities and municipalities you rent from will ask to see it.
Liquor Liability
For licensed halls and events, this responds when the organization is held responsible for injury or damage caused by a patron who was over-served. Essential for Legions and any association that serves alcohol.
Abuse Liability
Coverage for the abuse and molestation exposure that comes with running programs for youth or vulnerable people, which a standard liability policy limits or leaves out. Added where your activities call for it.
Commercial Property
Can protect the hall or building you own, its contents, and any equipment against fire, water, theft, and vandalism, with coverage for lost rental income where you rent the space out.
Crime / Fidelity
Can protect membership dues, grants, and event proceeds against theft, fraud, and forgery, including by a volunteer, board member, or employee handling the money.
Coverages shown are general examples, not a description of any specific policy. Policy coverages widely vary and should be confirmed with your broker.
How your coverage fits Alberta’s rules
Most Alberta non-profits are incorporated under the Societies Act, or as non-profit companies under Part 9 of the Companies Act, and that structure is exactly why directors and officers coverage matters: incorporation does not fully shield a volunteer director from being named personally. If your organization serves alcohol, whether in a licensed Legion lounge or under a special-event licence from Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis, that licence sits behind your liquor liability coverage, and your servers are expected to be ProServe-trained. Member and donor information is governed by Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act. And when you rent a community hall, arena, or municipal facility, the owner will almost always require proof of your liability coverage and to be added to your policy. We build your program to satisfy all of it.
Why non-profits and Legions choose Velocity
We work with societies, community leagues, industry and trade associations, service clubs, and Legion branches, and we know that the people making decisions are usually volunteers with their own assets on the line. We protect the board first, make sure the liquor and event exposures are actually covered, and issue the certificates a facility or funder asks for without delay, so your organization can get on with its work.
How Pricing Works
What drives your premium
- What your organization doesA quiet industry association meets a very different risk than a Legion with a licensed lounge or a club running youth programs, so your activities are the biggest driver of price.
- Events and attendanceThe number and size of the events you host, and whether the public attends, raise the liability exposure a policy has to account for.
- Whether you serve alcoholA licensed hall or regular special-event service adds liquor liability exposure, and how often and how much you serve moves the premium.
- Your board, staff, and financesThe size of the board, whether you have paid employees, and the funds you manage all shape the directors and officers and crime exposure.
- The hall or building you ownIf you own your space, its value, age, and any rental use set the property side of the premium.
- Working with vulnerable peoplePrograms for children, seniors, or vulnerable people add an abuse exposure, and your screening and safety practices factor into both coverage and price.
- Claims history, limits & deductiblesA clean record lowers your price while past claims raise it, and higher limits cost more where a higher deductible lowers the premium but raises your share of a claim.
Common Questions
Questions ownersactually ask.
We are a small volunteer non-profit. Do we really need directors and officers coverage?
Yes, and it is often the most important coverage a non-profit carries. Incorporating under the Societies Act does not fully protect a volunteer director from being named personally in a claim over a decision the board made, whether about money, employment, or governance. Many capable people will not join a board without this coverage in place, so it protects both your people and your ability to recruit them.
Our Legion serves alcohol. What coverage does that need?
A licensed hall or lounge, and any event run under an AGLC special-event licence, creates liquor liability: if a patron is over-served and someone is hurt, the organization can be held responsible. Liquor liability responds to that exposure, and Alberta expects your servers to hold ProServe certification. We match the coverage to how and when you serve.
We run programs for kids. Is that a different kind of risk?
Yes. Organizations that work with children, seniors, or vulnerable people carry an abuse and molestation exposure that a standard liability policy limits or excludes. Where your activities call for it, we add abuse liability coverage and help you understand the screening and safety practices that sit alongside it.
A facility we rent is asking us to add them to our insurance. What does that mean?
When you rent a community hall, arena, or municipal facility, the owner usually wants proof your liability coverage is active and to be added as an additional insured, so they are protected for claims arising from your event. It is routine, and we issue the certificate quickly so it never holds up your booking.
How much liability coverage should our association carry?
In today’s climate, $2 million is widely regarded as the standard minimum for any one claim, and it is what most facilities and municipalities ask for before they will rent to you. Larger events, licensed premises, and higher-risk activities may warrant more. We match the limit to your activities and the agreements you sign.
Volunteers use their own vehicles for our events. Is that covered?
That is a common exposure, and it is handled differently than insuring vehicles the organization owns. A volunteer’s own auto policy responds first, and a non-owned automobile endorsement can extend your liability coverage to protect the organization if a volunteer causes a crash while acting on its behalf. We will add it where your activities call for it.
Built for the board,the members, and the mission.
Tell us what your organization does, whether you serve alcohol, and whether you own a hall, and we’ll build coverage around your board, your events, and your members. Certificates issued fast.
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