Insurance
Insurance for Land Trusts
Even when we make every reasonable effort to keep everyone safe and everything running smoothly, at some point, we all run into trouble. What if a visitor gets hurt on one of your preserves? What if your office gets damaged in a storm or a fire? What if unwise actions by a staff or board member trigger a lawsuit? What if an easement violation blows up into a full-scale legal battle?
Any of these scenarios could involve extraordinary costs that land trusts need to be prepared to meet. This means carrying several different types of insurance coverage — which can get complicated and expensive! To make sure land trusts can get the coverage they need, the Alliance has helped to arrange insurance options designed specifically to meet the needs of land trusts:
- Conserve-a-nation offers a range of insurance options for land trusts at affordable group rates.
- Terrafirma offers one-of-a-kind coverage for land trusts to offset the costs of legal action to defend the public liability for land owned by a land trust and conservation easements.
Below, you can also find links to other carriers that specialize in insurance for nonprofits.
How do you know what kinds of insurance you need?
Conserve-a-nation: Group Rates for Land Trusts
Insurance is more affordable when land trusts go together, buying as a group. Over 600 land trusts are now participating in the Conserve-a-nation insurance program, which offers special group rates to Alliance member land trusts.
Conserve-a-nation is provided by Alliant Insurance Services, Inc. The policies are underwritten by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, which has earned the industry’s highest rankings for financial stability and operating performance.
A basic Conserve-a-nation package includes coverage for:
- General Liability
- Non-owned and Hired Automobiles
- Property
You can also purchase additional coverage for:
- Directors and Officers (D&O)
- Workers Compensation/Employers Liability
- Volunteer Workers Accident Coverage
- Umbrella coverage for additional liability protection
If you have questions about Conserve-a-nation, please contact Meghan Mullee by phone at (703) 547-6292 or email mmullee@alliant.com.
Terrafirma: Conservation Defense Liability Insurance
Terrafirma offers one-of-a-kind coverage for land trusts to offset the costs of legal action to defend the public liability for land owned by a land trust and conservation easements.
Traditional liability insurance can help pay your legal costs if someone sues you. But what if you need to uphold your conservation defense liability for your preserves or conserved land? Before Terrafirma, there was no insurance to cover the legal costs of conservation defense, which can run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In 2011, the Alliance formed Terrafirma Risk Retention Group, LLC, to meet land trusts’ unique need to prepare for the legal costs of conservation defense. Terrafirma is a tax-exempt organization that is owned by its members — over 500 land trusts across the nation.
More Insurance Companies Specializing in Nonprofits
If you’re comparing insurance options, you may want to inquire with these carriers, which specialize in nonprofit organizations. We don’t endorse any of these carriers and, of course, this isn’t a complete list of companies that carry insurance for nonprofits, but you might find these links useful:
- Alliance of Nonprofits for Insurance, Risk Retention Group: a nonprofit insurance carrier serving over 3,000 nonprofit organizations
- First Nonprofit Insurance Company: provides property and liability insurance coverage exclusively for charitable nonprofits.
- Philadelphia Insurance Companies: offers an insurance package designed for 501(c)(3) organizations.
- Riverport Insurance Company: provides insurance products to nonprofit and for-profit social service, and charitable organizations.
