We are an NGO that conducts activities and holds events outdoors. What are our options if a participant or visitor gets injured during a community event, training programme or field work? How can we afford hospital bills and other unexpected expenses arising from such injuries? We’d like to know if it is worth taking an insurance policy at this early stage.
Taking an insurance policy can seem like a huge hassle, especially if you’re just starting out. However, it is all the more important, as the organiser is legally responsible for the safety of the participants they invite to their activities.
A good choice is a Public Liability Insurance that covers the NGO’s legal responsibility if any participant, beneficiary, visitor, or member of the public gets injured, disabled, dies, or their property gets damaged during one of your events, camps, training, or field activities. The coverage includes medical costs, compensation and legal and court case expenses. For example, if a participant slips and falls at your training venue and fractures their leg, or gets injured due to poor facilities, you may be held liable. The insurance coverage will be helpful in such cases.
Additionally, you could go for an Event Insurance that is usually meant for large or special events such as huge public gatherings, conferences, melas, exhibitions or campaigns, and large camps or festivals. The coverage includes accidents and injuries during the event, damage to the venue or equipment, cancellation due to unavoidable reasons (weather, permission issues, etc.) and any public liabilities related to the particular event. This policy is useful as it covers accidents that happen amidst large crowds where one small incident can lead to huge unexpected expenses. For instance, suppose your NGO organises a 3-day public camp with 500 participants and something goes wrong, an event insurance helps cover those costs. Whenever your NGO organises large-scale or high-footfall events, this policy will come in handy.
Team members and volunteers are the biggest asset of any NGO, and field work, travels, camps and community engagements regularly expose them to risks. There is a Group Personal Accident Insurance that you can take for your staff, volunteers, field workers, trainers and team members. This will be useful if they meet with an accident, injured or disabled or die while travelling or working for the NGO. It provides a fixed compensation and medical support, depending on the specific policy you take.