Churches and non-profits run almost entirely on volunteers, which makes it easy to assume that “the insurance” automatically covers whatever those volunteers are doing. In reality, volunteer coverage is one of the most misunderstood parts of a nonprofit insurance program, and the gaps tend to surface at the worst possible time — after someone is already hurt or a claim has already been filed.

General liability insurance typically protects the organization itself from claims of bodily injury or property damage caused by its operations, including volunteer activity, but it doesn’t automatically mean an injured volunteer’s own medical bills are covered. That’s a separate question, usually addressed through either workers’ compensation (which in Montana generally doesn’t apply to true volunteers) or a standalone volunteer accident policy, which is a relatively inexpensive add-on many churches don’t realize exists.

There’s also a difference between a volunteer acting within the scope of an assigned task and one who goes off-script. If a volunteer decides on their own to, say, climb a ladder to fix a light fixture nobody asked them to touch, and gets hurt, coverage questions can get murkier than if they were doing exactly what was asked of them. Clear, simple volunteer role descriptions — even informal ones — help establish what someone was actually doing on your organization’s behalf.

The practical fix is a short conversation with your agent about three things: whether your general liability policy addresses volunteer activity explicitly, whether a volunteer accident policy makes sense given how many volunteers you rely on and what they do, and whether any high-risk volunteer roles (driving, working at heights, operating equipment) need special attention. It’s a much better conversation to have now than after an incident.

Action Items

• Write brief role descriptions for any high-risk volunteer tasks (driving, ladders, equipment).

This post is for general informational purposes only and isn’t legal or insurance advice — every policy and situation is different, so please talk with a licensed insurance professional before making coverage decisions for your organization.