Charity event insurance

Expert protection so you can focus on your fundraiser

Get trusted cover for your charity's events

By your side if events take a turn

Events help you share your charity’s work and goals and raise crucial funds to help it continue and thrive. But between lively crowds, unpredictable weather, and possibly risky activities, things don't always go to plan. 

Whether your charity has a packed fundraising events calendar or hosts one-offs, it can open up new challenges. From injury to the public to equipment damaged in transit, you’ll want to make sure you’re one step ahead by putting the right insurance in place. 

We understand charities have a long to-do list, especially when organising fundraisers. So we'll do all we can to make getting the right events cover hassle-free. 

Expertise

Our broking team truly understands the activities and risks of not-for-profits.

Personal service

We're committed to high service levels, with named contacts and direct phone numbers.

Trusted partner

Broking partner to Locality and ukactive.

What is charity event insurance?

Charity event insurance, or one-day insurance, protects charities from the financial risks that come with running events. So that’s community engagement activities and fundraisers like fun runs, clean-up days, raffles, galas, auctions, and sports days.

Then, if something goes wrong, such as a volunteer being injured or venue cancellation, this insurance can step in to cover the cost. 

Do charities need event insurance?

Fundraising is vital, but it can involve significant investment. So, if your charity couldn’t afford to lose the money from deposits, venue hire, or other outlays before to an event, it can make sense to protect this investment with insurance. There may also be cover your charity needs regardless of events, such as employers’ liability insurance.

You’ll need to protect staff, volunteers, and service users against risks, like injury or loss, that can happen at events. If something could go wrong, or there’s the slightest risk someone could get sick or injured, it’s the charity’s responsibility to assess these risks and arrange the proper cover.
 

What does charity event insurance cover?

Charities and the scope and scale of events can vary, so we keep it flexible. Our charity events insurance includes these covers for one-offs or multiple events:

Public liability insurance 

This covers third-party liability claims. This means if a member of the public is injured, dies, or their property is damaged at your event, claim costs would be covered. This includes medical fees, legal expenses, and compensation payments. Some venues will ask for a certificate of this insurance before you can book, so it's sensible to get event cover in place ahead of time. 

Employers’ liability insurance

If you have employees, you need this insurance by law. It covers the cost of a claim if those representing the charity (usually including volunteers) become injured, ill, or die through their work and sue the charity for damages. For example, if they're injured by a display or while using equipment.

We can also provide cover for:

  • Cancellation and disruption 
  • Bad weather 
  • Property and equipment during transit and at the event (for loss, damage, or theft)
  • Liability for accidental damage to the venue by your charity

What types of charity events are covered?

All sorts. Don’t worry if you’re running something a bit left-field – our insurers are flexible with the types of events they’ll cover. So even if you don’t see it listed below, tell us what you’re planning, and we’ll do all we can to find you cover.

We can provide cover for:

  • Sports events and tournaments
  • Carnivals, festivals, summer fetes, fairs, and open days
  • Planting projects
  • Craft fairs
  • Raffles
  • Bake sales and food events 
  • Car boot sales and clothes swaps 
  • Art shows and exhibits
  • Auctions
  • Concerts and galas
  • Live performances (such as drama productions)
  • Non-sport competitions
  • Casino nights 

Once your cover is in place, get in touch if you’re planning a big event with a lot of attendees, or something you haven't done before. This is so we can make sure you’re properly protected. 

Expert claims team

We're here to take the stress out of claims. Our in-house claims service, and close relationships with insurance partners, makes for an easy and efficient process. We’ll be by your side throughout, ready to answer any questions and keep things moving.

✓ In-house specialists with deep sector and insurance knowledge
✓ Here when you need us in person, by phone, or email
✓ Timely, clear, and concise communications

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Message us or call 0333 234 1387 for a quote

Charities, not for profit & voluntary organisations enquiry form

To find out how we can best support your charitable organisation please complete the enquiry form below, or alternatively call a member of our specialist charity team on 0333 234 1351. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.

Small charities: If you're a small charity (income under £350,000 pa), we offer Markel's online charity insurance which is specifically designed to provide cover for smaller organisations at competitive rates.

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Charity event insurance FAQs

Public liability insurance protects event organisers against potential claims. Any event presents risks, and these can be costly if things go wrong and someone sues. With public liability insurance for charity events, your charity is covered for the cost of claims for accidental:

  • Bodily injury to a member of the public
  • Death of a member of the public
  • Damage to third-party property
  • Loss to third-party property
     

It’s a good idea to arrange charity event insurance as soon as you sign a contract or start investing money in an event. This helps protect any deposits or outlay.

We’ll make sure your insurance covers your charity events without having to regularly get in touch with us. But if you do need to make a change to your policy, we’ll respond the same day and won’t charge administration fees for any transaction.

Charity event insurance as a whole is not a legal requirement, but your charity may need to have certain types. Remember that:

  • Trustees have a legal duty to act in a charity’s best interests, especially in relation to the organisation’s assets, resources, service users, staff, and volunteers.
  • If you have employees, you are legally required to have at least £5m employers’ liability insurance. Without it, you could face a fine.
  • You may need public liability insurance before you can hold an event at certain venues. They should let you know before you book the venue, if this is the case.

Even if you don’t have to have cover in place, it’s still important to assess, mitigate and insure against these risks. This protects your charity from potentially costly third-party compensation claims and makes sure you’re fulfilling your duty of care to staff, volunteers and service users.

Our risk management services – and online portal for customers – can help you do that. 
 

As many as you like. We can either provide one-off charity event insurance or cover for multiple charity events throughout the year, as part of your combined insurance. 

No. Your policy will only protect your charity’s assets and liabilities. Your stallholders, suppliers, and exhibitors should have their own public liability cover in place for their activities at events. 

No. Cancellation and curtailment is only covered if you have to cancel your event due to incidents your policy covers. So that’s things outside of your control, such as a flood at the venue. When getting an event cancellation insurance quote, make sure you're up to speed with the specific scenarios it covers.