Blog - Moose Insurance Program

How to Protect Lodge Leadership and Board Members

Leaders make daily decisions that impact the success of their organization. As a leader, these Lodge members are expected to accept the same guidelines and duties that the heads of major corporations follow: the duties of diligence, loyalty and care.

Despite leaders having the best interests of the organization at heart, they can make mistakes and their choices can be questioned. Costly claims can ensue, especially if the leader’s decision forced a financial burden on the organization. These claims of mismanagement, or breach of fiduciary duties, can threaten your Post’s funds and the personal assets of your directors, officers and trustees.

Examples of Claims Against Leadership

Consider these real claim scenarios: Despite your non-profit status, your leadership can be sued for actual or alleged […]

October 25th, 2023|

Safety Improvements for Lodge Property

Homes, vehicles, rentals and more—All property is important to upkeep and maintain, and the same is true of any property your Lodge owns.

Maintaining property and prioritizing safety improvements not only adds to your property value, but it also keeps your members and guests safe and comfortable.

Read on for tips to maintain and improve your Lodge property.

Self-Inspect for Maintenance and Safety Improvements for Lodge Property

It can be beneficial to implement routine self-inspections to catch a hazard before a true safety issue arises.

Gather a group of members of different ages and abilities to examine the property for hazards ranging from loose floor tiles to cracked windows to overhanging tree limbs. Document all found hazards or potential hazards and develop plan for addressing each […]

September 6th, 2023|

Common Insurance Claims Lodges Face

These common claims against fraternal organizations can greatly impact your operations, so it is important to be prepared. Read on to learn about common claim examples and how you can prevent them at your organization.

Common Insurance Claims at Fraternal Organizations

The most common claims fraternal organizations face are due to property damage and third-party injuries.

Property claims go hand in hand with a brick and mortar. Whether your organization’s property is damaged by fire, wind, hail, theft or vandalism, there is always the chance of some damage occurring. This damage can also impact the contents of your buildings, including your equipment, furnishings, computers, inventory and supplies. Fire, theft and other disasters affecting your space are not only often costly to fix, but they could also impact your ability to operate your […]

June 28th, 2023|

Implementing a Severe Weather Plan for Moose Lodges

Whatever part of the country your organization is in, severe weather can impact your operations. Consider these statistics on severe weather from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):

About 1,200 tornadoes hit the U.S. each year.
100,000 thunderstorms occur each year in the U.S. and 10% reach severe levels.
Damaging winds are classified as those exceeding 50-60 mph.
In the U.S., floods kill more people each year than tornadoes, hurricanes or lightning.

Because severe weather can happen anywhere throughout the year, it is important to take the time to create a plan for any extreme weather that might come your way. Here are seven steps you can take to help implement a severe weather plan for Moose Lodges.

Building a Severe Weather Plan for Moose Lodges

Preparing for severe weather takes […]

March 29th, 2023|

Frequently Asked Questions about Lodge Insurance

Whether you have been managing your organization’s insurance for months or years, insurance policies can change, your Lodge may evolve and questions can arise.

Browse some of our recent frequently asked questions about Lodge insurance to stay up-to-date on all things Lodge insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lodge Insurance

To get a clearer understanding of your organization’s insurance, browse these frequently asked questions about Lodge Insurance.

Our organization is a non-profit, why do we pay taxes on the insurance premium?

Unfortunately, the standard non-profit tax exemptions do not apply to insurance transactions. There are no tax exemptions for any insurance policyholders.

How does this policy cover our members?

Members are covered as insureds for the activities that they perform or engage in on behalf of your organization. For example, if a guest is injured and they […]

March 14th, 2023|

The Importance of Volunteer Waivers for Lodges

Your organization relies heavily on its members and its volunteers. Whether you’re hosting bingo night, a bake sale, a food drive or other community event, you need volunteers to plan, organize, work and clean up the event for it to be a success.

While aiming for safety and security at your Lodge, your volunteers can still be injured during their duties. To protect your Lodge from assuming liability for the costs associated with volunteer injuries, it is crucial to have all volunteers sign a waiver before their assistance.

The Importance of Getting Signed Volunteer Waivers for Lodges

A volunteer waiver protects your Lodge from liability in the event of an incident involving any of your volunteers.

While you may feel uncomfortable asking long-term volunteers to sign a waiver, Lodges can’t be expected to […]

January 30th, 2023|

Protecting Your Organization from Internal and External Theft

Protecting your organization from internal and external theft is an important risk management tactic to reduce loss and claims.

Theft may rise as inflation and prices rise, and fraternal organizations become a target for thieves hoping to grab cash, food, alcohol and other valuables.

Even in times of economic stability, theft remains a significant risk for fraternal organizations. Follow these tips for protecting your organization from internal and external theft.

Protecting Your Organization from Internal Theft

While you hope the most upstanding citizens are part of your organization, it is always best to err on the side of caution by reducing temptation and implementing policies and procedures.

Select the right employees and volunteers. Conduct reference and background checks on applicants before hiring. Be consistent and make sure that if you screen one candidate […]

December 28th, 2022|

Staying Safe Online: Protecting Your Members from Cyber Risks

Just as your fraternal organization faces cyber liability risks, so do your members.

In fact, the Senate passed the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act in 2021 to create an advisory group to educate consumers about scams, improve industry fraud-prevention training, develop better ways to stop scams before they happen and expand fraud prevention research.

And certain citizens may be impacted more than others. According to The Special Committee on Aging, the total impact of scams and other financial abuses that affect older adults is largely underreported but studies estimate the costs to be in the billions.

To protect your senior members, it’s important to understand your cyber liability risks and know how to protect against them.

Common cyber risks your members may face

While […]

November 11th, 2022|

Staying Safe Online: Protecting Your Organization

As a fraternal organization operating in today’s digitally connected world, your Lodge faces several cyber liability risks. Typically, most fraternal organizations do not consider themselves at risk for a cyber attack and have failed to take measures to secure their systems and data, making them an even bigger target.

To protect your organization, it’s important to understand your cyber liability risks and know how to protect against them.

Common cyber risks Lodges face

You may think a cyber criminal would be uninterested in your organization, however, many Lodges store valuable information, including:

Organizational data
Social media accounts
Personal data of members and employees, including Social Security numbers
Credit card information and more

Consider these cyber attacks your organization could face:

Wire fraud—A scheme to defraud or obtain money based on false representation or […]

October 14th, 2022|

How Your Insurance Needs May Change from Year to Year

As your organization changes from year to year, your insurance needs may change. Whether your Lodge participates in new activities, hosts new events or has changes to its membership, Lockton Affinity provides access to a variety of insurance policies that can help safeguard your organization throughout it all.

You begin hosting events with alcohol

When alcohol is served, your organization needs proper insurance to protect against the risks and liability associated with alcohol. Depending on the type of event, whether your organization is hosting or renting out its buildings, you will need different insurance coverage.

The Lockton Affinity difference: Lockton Affinity understands the risks associated with serving alcohol. We offer Liquor Liability insurance for organizations that sell or serve alcohol to help cover legal expenses for claims like serving alcohol to a […]

September 7th, 2022|