Not-for-Profit Insurance Solutions

Expert advice for Australian charities, community organisations and social enterprises

Insurance Advice Tailored to Your Mission

Not-for-profit organisations don’t always fit neatly into a standard business insurance policy.

You may rely heavily on volunteers. You might provide services to people who need additional care or protection. Some organisations may also hold sensitive information or manage valuable community assets.

Clear Insurance works with not-for-profits across Australia, from local associations to larger NDIS service providers. We understand the pressure of balancing appropriate insurance with limited funding.

Our role is to understand how your organisation works and help you structure an appropriate insurance program through risk transfer. We know every dollar matters. We don’t recommend more insurance than you need.

Understanding the Risks Your Organisation Faces

Not-for-profits can have exposures that are easy to overlook.

A volunteer-led organisation may face very different issues to a commercial business. The same applies to an organisation delivering professional services or working directly with the public.

Good insurance advice starts with understanding those differences.

Volunteer Management & Liability

Volunteers are central to many not-for-profit organisations.

Workers compensation arrangements for volunteers vary depending on state and territory. It’s worth checking what protection your organisation has if someone is injured while volunteering.

Liability is another consideration. The activities volunteers carry out on your behalf should be accurately reflected in your insurance.

Fundraising Events & Public Activities

A fundraising event can expose your organisation to risks that aren’t part of its usual operations.

You may be using a temporary venue or bringing much larger numbers of people together than usual. An activity that seems perfectly ordinary to your team may sit outside what your insurer expects your organisation to be doing.

Some insurers place conditions on particular events. Checking before the event takes place gives you time to deal with any issues.

Property & Asset Protection

Some not-for-profit assets can be difficult or expensive to replace.

A community organisation might have specialist equipment or a building that has increased significantly in value. Others hold donated items that aren’t straightforward to value.

Insurance values can become outdated surprisingly quickly. Reviewing them periodically reduces the risk of discovering a shortfall after a loss.

Professional Services Delivery

If you provide counselling, training or other professional services, you may have a professional indemnity exposure.

A claim can arise when someone alleges that your advice or service caused them loss or harm.

Rather than explaining the cover in detail here, you can read more on our professional indemnity insurance page.

Governance & Management Responsibilities

Being a volunteer director or committee member doesn’t automatically remove the responsibilities that come with the role.

Claims can arise from decisions made on behalf of the organisation. Employment matters and regulatory investigations can create exposure too.

The insurance you need will depend on your organisation’s structure and the policy wording.

Cyber Security & Data Protection

Not-for-profits are attractive targets for cybercrime too.

Many hold information about donors, clients or service users. Losing access to that information can interrupt services as well as create privacy issues.

Privacy Act obligations don’t depend on turnover alone. Some smaller organisations fall within the Privacy Act because of the work they do, including organisations that provide health services and hold health information.

Our cyber insurance guide explains the cover in more detail.

Sectors We Serve

Not every not-for-profit faces the same risks. An NDIS provider, for example, operates very differently from a regional arts organisation.

Good insurance advice starts with understanding what you actually do. If you sector isn’t listed here, that doesn’t mean we can’t help. Many organisations don’t fit neatly into one category.

Disability Service Providers

NDIS providers have particular insurance requirements. The NDIS Practice Standards require appropriate insurance to be in place, including professional indemnity, public liability and accident insurance. The way those requirements apply needs to be considered alongside the services you provide.

We work with providers to understand how their insurance responds to their operations.

Community Health Services

Many community health organisations provide services away from their own premises. That can change the risk considerably. Working in a client’s home, for example raises different considerations from providing the same service in a clinic.

Educational & Training Organisations

Training organisations can face professional indemnity exposure through the services they provide. They may also rely heavily on equipment or IT systems. Those assets need to be considered separately rather than assuming professional liability insurance deals with everything.

Social & Welfare Services

Organisations providing counselling or crisis support often work with people in difficult circumstances.

Professional liability is only part of the picture. The organisation may also need to consider how it protects sensitive client information and maintains services when something goes wrong.

Environmental & Conservation Groups

Field work can introduce risks that aren’t obvious from an organisation’s office activities. The way volunteers use equipment or work on other people’s land, for example, may need specific consideration.

Arts, Culture and Sporting Organisations

Events and public participation can be major exposures for these organisations. The right insurance depends heavily on what happens at those events and who is involved.

Religious and Faith-Based Organisations

Faith organisations often combine several very different activities. The same organisation might own property and run community programs while relying heavily on volunteers. Its insurance needs to reflect how these activities fit together.

Housing and Homelessness Services

Accommodation providers have their own set of challenges. The property itself is only one consideration. The services being provided to residents can create additional liability exposures.

Common Insurance Considerations for Not-for-Profits

There isn’t a standard insurance package that works for every not-for-profit.

The cover you need depends on what your organisation actually does. These are some of the policies that may form part of the overall program.

Public Liability Insurance

Public liability can respond when someone alleges they were injured, or their property was damaged, because of your activities.

For a not-for-profit, it’s worth making sure the insurer understands what happens outside your usual day-to-day operations. That might include public events or work carried out by volunteers.

The policy wording matters, particularly if your organisation works with vulnerable people or carries out activities that insurers may treat differently.

Management Liability Insurance

Management liability can help protect the people involved in running an organisation, subject to the policy wording.

Claims might arise from an employment dispute or a decision made in a governance role.

For volunteer boards, one of the first things worth checking is simply who the policy defines as an insured person.

Professional Indemnity Insurance

Professional indemnity may be needed where your organisation provides advice or professional services.

The exact requirement depends on the work you do. Contracts or funding agreements may also specify particular insurance.

We’ve covered the underlying professional services exposure earlier on this page.

Volunteer Personal Accident Insurance

Volunteer personal accident insurance may provide benefits if a someone is injured while undertaking approved volunteer activities.

Whether it is appropriate depends on your circumstances and the compensation arrangements that apply where you operate.

The important point is not to assume that volunteers automatically have the same protection as employees.

Property Insurance

Building and equipment can become underinsured as replacement costs rise.

Not-for-profits sometimes have another complication: assets that have been donated or accumulated over many years. They may need a little more thought when setting insurance values.

Cyber Liability Insurance

Cyber insurance can help with certain costs following a cyber incident, depending on the policy.

The risk isn’t only losing data. For many organisations, being locked out of the systems they use to deliver services can be just as disruptive.

Association Liability Insurance

Association liability and management liability aren’t necessarily interchangeable terms.

Products vary between insurers. The useful question is what the policy actually covers and whether that suits the structure of your organisation.

Motor Vehicle Insurance

If your organisation owns vehicles, make sure the insurance reflects how they’re actually used.

It becomes particularly important where volunteers also drive them.

Crime Insurance

Unfortunately, charities and community organisations aren’t immune from fraud or theft.

Crime insurance may provide protection against certain financial losses. It can become particularly relevant where an organisation manages significant funds or several people have access to accounts.

You can also read our guidance on business crime risk for more on the practical issues to consider.

Why Not-for-Profits Choose Clear Insurance

We understand that insurance competes with countless other priories for your budget. Our job is to make the choices clear. We look for gaps that matter and explain the options available.

Our experience includes community health organisations, associations and sporting clubs.

Sector Expertise

We understand the practical insurance issues not-for-profits encounter. We take the time to understand your unique set-up and existing insurance program.

Transparent Advice

We’ll explain what you’re buying and where the limitations sit.

Insurance can be complicated. Our job is to make it easier to understand.

Efficiency

We deal with insurers and work with you to arrange your cover.

That gives your team more time to concentrate on the organisation itself.

Steadfast Support

As members of Steadfast Group, Clear Insurance has access to broad market relationships and specialist insurance resources.

Personalised Service

You’ll work with an adviser who gets to know your organisation over time.

That becomes particularly useful when something changes and you need to understand whether your insurance needs to change as well.

Claims Support

If you have a claim, we stay involved.

We’ll help you understand the process and liaise with the insurer on your behalf.

Contact An Adviser

Our Approach to Not-For-Profit Insurance

We start with what you already have.

There is no assumption that you need to replace your existing insurance. First, we want to understand whether it still fits the organisation you are today.

Getting to Know You and Your Organisation

We’ll ask how your organisation works and what has changed since your insurance was last reviewed. Sometimes a new service or contract changes the insurance picture more than the organisation realises.

Comprehensive Risk & Insurance Review

We review your existing insurance and risk-transfer arrangements to see where cover many no longer reflect what you do. We’re looking for meaningful gaps or unnecessary duplication, not opportunities to add cover for the sake of it.

Our advice relates to insurance and risk transfer. We do not provide risk management consulting services or asset valuations. However, we can connect you and recommend services.

Tailored Advice

Once we understand your organisation, we can explain the available options. That includes discussing where limits and exclusions may affect you.

Competitive Market Access

We approach insurers that are appropriate for the type of work you do. The aim isn’t simply to find the cheapest premium. It’s to compare the options that genuinely fit your needs.

Ongoing Support

Your insurance should change when your organisation changes. You don’t have to wait for renewal. If you start a new service, take on a significant contract or drop a service, tell us. We can look at the insurance implications and explain the options while there’s still time to act.

Frequently Asked Questions

What insurance do not-for-profits need in Australia?

There isn’t one standard insurance package for every not-for-profit.

Public liability is common. If you employ people, you’ll also need to consider workers compensation requirements in your state or territory.

Beyond that, it really comes down to what your organisation does. Providing professional services may create a need for professional indemnity. A volunteer board raises different considerations again.

Funding agreements or registration conditions can also specify insurance requirements, so they’re worth checking rather than relying on a generic list.

Do volunteers need to be covered by insurance?

It’s worth checking rather than assuming they’re already covered.

The arrangements that apply to volunteers differ from those for employees and can also vary by State or Territory.

Volunteer personal accident insurance may be appropriate if people could be injured while carrying out activities for your organisation. You should also understand how your other policies treat volunteers acting on your behalf.

What is the difference between public liability and professional indemnity?

They deal with different kinds of claims.

Public liability generally concerns injury to another person or damage to their property arising from your activities.

Professional indemnity relates to the advice or professional services you provide.

A not-for-profit can need both. A counselling organisation, for example, may have people visiting its premises while also providing a professional service.

Can you help with NDIS insurance requirements?

Yes.

The NDIS Practice Standards require providers to have appropriate insurance in place, including professional indemnity, public liability and accident insurance.

What is appropriate will depend on your organisation and the supports you provide.

We can review your existing arrangements and help you understand how they fit with the insurance requirements relevant to your services.

Does management liability insurance cover board members who are volunteers?

It may, but you need to check the policy.

The important question is how the policy defines an insured person and whether that definition captures your board or committee members.

Volunteer status on its own doesn’t guarantee cover. It’s one of the things we look at when reviewing insurance for organisations governed by volunteers.

How much does not-for-profit insurance cost?

There isn’t a standard price. An organisation delivering services directly to vulnerable people may be viewed differently from one focused mainly on advocacy or administration.

Your size matters, but so does the work you actually do. Claims history, assets and the level of cover you choose will also affect the premium.

We can compare the available options and explain where changing the cover affects the cost and the inclusions.

Are organisations with ACNC registration treated differently by insurers?

Insurers may take your organisation’s structure and registration status into account, but ACNC registration doesn’t guarantee a cheaper premium or better cover.

Insurers will still want to understand what your organisation does and the risks they are being asked to insure.

For registered charities, ACNC Governance Standards deal with how the organisation is run and must be met to obtain and retain charity registration.

We work with different not-for-profit structures, so ACNC registration is one part of the picture rather than the starting point for every insurance recommendation.

Start your journey with Clear Insurance today

Every not-for-profit organisation is different.

If you’d like us to review your insurance, we’ll start by understanding how your organisation operates and what your managing today. We’ll look at whether your existing cover still reflects those activities and explain any options we think are worth considering. No pressure, no generic package. Just clear advice based on your organisation.

You can submit our online enquiry form and one of our experienced team will be in touch at your preferred time. If you’d prefer you can call Clear Insurance on 1300 721 132 or email info@clearinsurance.com.au.

Important Information: The information on this page is general advice only and doesn’t consider your organisation’s specific circumstances, governance structure, or charitable purposes. Contact us for advice tailored to your not-for-profit organisation. Insurance requirements vary based on your legal structure, state requirements, ACNC registration, and funding body requirements. This doesn’t constitute legal or governance advice. Always verify insurance requirements in funding agreements before finalising applications. Before entering into insurance, you have a duty of disclosure to tell an insurer anything that may affect their decision to insure you. View our Financial Services Guide for full details about our services and remuneration. Clear Insurance Pty Ltd | ABN 41 601 916 689 | AFSL No. 548953

Last updated: 9 September 2026

“Clear Insurance rapidly completed an in-depth analysis of our insurance coverage. They identified that our organisation was under-insured and provided a comprehensive proposal outlining the opportunities to better protect ourselves against risks. The proposal was specific to the context that we work in and our growth as a business. It provided key examples of policy coverage areas and inclusions we had not previously considered, nor had they been raised by our previous broker of 10 years. It is evident to me, Clear Insurance work diligently and tirelessly to truly understand the needs of their clients to protect them against potential risks.”

Rebecca Culverhouse, CEO, Accoras.