Roundtable News

Are You Protected?

By Matthew Borowick · Originally published February 2017 · p. 3

If you have not thought about that question as a round table leader, you should. Civil War round tables hold meetings, events, programs and tours. They handle money, public statements and interact with hundreds, if not thousands of people each year. While that interaction serves a valuable purpose, problems may arise. Someone may fall at a meeting. A trip may go wrong. A fellow director might steal money. Attendees may damage the site where you meet. These scenarios bring up the issue of round table insurance. Have you considered it? If not, you may be exposing yourself, your organization and your other leaders to a liability. I am not an insurance expert or a lawyer but I did poll some round table leaders to see what they think. Each noted that insurance may not be necessary for less developed groups, however, once a round table grows beyond monthly meetings and begins offering tours and other programs, it may wish to consider purchasing a policy. One especially prominent round table weighed in on liability insurance, saying that, “We have liability insurance. Our prior (meeting) site asked us to sign an indemnification agreement to cover them if one of our guests was injured at a meeting. We signed the agreement but then became concerned that we had no resources to protect us if sued. We bought a policy covering the CWRT and its officers plus naming the site as additional insured.” That round table’s current site does not require an agreement. The site charges a fee to use the facility and has its own insurance. The round table still maintains a liability policy at an annual cost of about $300. Another round table maintains a policy protecting directors and officers (known as “D&O insurance”) and liability coverage for its events. The policy was secured through an insurance broker who caters to living history individuals and organizations. Another round table’s leader differed, stating that insurance is not needed. He says, regarding D&O insurance that, “It makes no sense and really doesn’t apply. This type of insurance is for taxexempt organizations that have employees who are handling large sums of money and are covered by employee benefits.” Another individual suggests asking, “Do each of the Board members have any personal insurance that would cover actions taken in good faith as a volunteer board member?” He added that such coverage is relatively inexpensive and can be obtained on an individual basis through personal insurance brokers. One round table’s leader strongly suggests that every round table should be incorporated. He goes on to say that round tables that only hold meetings at locations where they pay a fee and do not run other programs may not need insurance. And what of the cost? One says that, “The premium is not cheap. If a CWRT is only holding a meeting at a public place and not running anything else, it may be ok to not have the insurance if they can’t afford it. One problem with a hefty policy fee is that it eats into the CWRT finances, thereby diminishing funds available to bring in speakers from a distance, but if a CWRT has the membership fees to cover it, then by all means it would be very prudent to do so.” What advice do I have for you? Only this: That you should review your round table’s circumstances. Do you need insurance? Only you can decide. But in any case, you should be reviewing issues like this at least annually. Let your board or other governing members weigh in. Contact an expert in the insurance industry to get a professional opinion. Ask a lawyer/member of your round table. Then decide. But at least take the time to make sure you have thought out how you want to handle this and other financial matters. And, of course, get incorporated.