Member Benefits
Value of VIS membership
What VIS Does For Volunteer-Based Organizations
VIS helps volunteer-based organizations strengthen the way they support, protect, and retain their volunteers. Through VIS membership, organizations can:
- Better manage the risks that come with volunteer engagement
- Protect the organization’s own insurance limits and claims experience
- Improve insurance coverage for volunteers
- Recruit and retain qualified, committed volunteers
- Save time and expense in important, practical ways
Insurance Designed Specifically for Volunteers
VIS is the only association that offers three insurance programs created specifically for volunteers. Organizations can select each coverage separately or combine them as needed:
- Accident insurance: Helps protect volunteers if they are injured while serving.
- Liability insurance: Helps protect volunteers if they are held responsible for injuring someone or damaging property.
- Excess automobile liability insurance: Helps protect volunteers if they cause an accident while driving on behalf of the organization.
When all three programs are selected, the cost to insure a volunteer for an entire year is about the cost of a lunch.
With VIS, organizations can offer volunteers coverage designed for the work they do—an important benefit for current and prospective volunteers—while helping preserve the organization’s own insurance limits and claims experience.
BONUS Benefits
VIS members receive 24/7 access to the VIS Vault, a collection of proprietary training materials and practical resources designed to help organizations manage the foreseeable risks of volunteer engagement. Plus, you’ll be invited to join our members-only LinkedIn Group for networking and access to experts serving nonprofit organizations.
VIS members also gain access to products and services offered by trusted VIS partners. These resources can help organizations save time, reduce expenses, and easily offset the annual $140 membership fee.
Reduce the risk of volunteer engagement
For more than 50 years, our organization has offered a unique program for insuring your volunteers in case they are injured, injure someone, damage property or are at fault in a vehicle accident while volunteering.
Transferring the volunteer risk exposure to the VIS program helps protect your organization’s own limits of insurance and claims experience, closes coverage gaps that often exist in an organization’s policies, and provides a benefit that helps you recruit and retain the best volunteers.
“VIS Vault” of risk management resources
Our proprietary risk management resources – Articles addressing common risks in a nonprofit organization, with guidance and additional resources; “Preventer Papers” on volunteer injury prevention and vehicle safety; a detailed model for your volunteer risk management program; guidance on how to evaluate volunteer Motor Vehicle Records; tips on how to prevent employee and volunteer dishonesty; and much more. All free and available 24/7 to VIS members.
Sure Check volunteers background screening services
Sure Check delivers the fastest and most cost-efficient background screening in the industry. Beyond speed, its platform was built for organizations that care about safety, compliance, and a smooth onboarding experience. Sure Check provides hands-on support, transparent pricing, and a dedicated experience that helps volunteers, staff, and administrators feel supported every step of the way.
Online volunteer driver safety course
VIS members enjoy preferred pricing for the National Traffic Safety Institute’s online driver safety training course. The SAFER course covers defensive driving, vehicle safety, common hazards, safe speed, following distance and more. The self-paced course is a great risk management resource for any organization whose volunteers drive as part of their responsibilities.
Assisted Rides Web-based volunteer driver scheduling and management
A Web-based service for nonprofits that provide transportation and other services, making it easy to schedule and track your volunteer activity. Google maps, turn-by-turn directions, automatic calculation of miles, calculation of “in-kind dollars,” and extensive reporting are all part of the service.
Volunteer Management Software
Running an engaging volunteer program requires the right tools to do it well.
Better Impact has been serving volunteer services teams with intuitive, reliable, and secure volunteer management software, since 2000. Thousands of small, medium and enterprise sized organizations across the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand utilize and trust its solutions.
Aging Forward
Formerly Shepherd’s Centers of America, Aging Forward is a pioneer in the national movement to age with meaning and purpose through educational opportunities, volunteer services, and social programs that strengthen community connections. They proudly host the Volunteer Driver Program TurnKey Kit, for which VIS is a contributor.
Council For Certification In Volunteer Administration
The Council helps volunteer management professionals prepare for and achieve the Certified In Volunteer Administration certification – a mark of professional excellence. Begin by downloading the free CVA Candidate Handbook under the “Resources” tab on the Website.
Also, the Council can conduct information sessions and ethics Webinars exclusively for VIS members. (Contact volunteers@visvolunteers.com for information about those.)
Debt management, from Cambridge Credit Counseling
Cambridge Credit Counseling, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that has a 25-year record of helping people gain control of debt that otherwise was controlling them…credit cards with high interest rates, student loans, the threat of foreclosure or bankruptcy, and more. Go to www.cambridge-credit.org/VIS, or call the dedicated VIS toll-free number at Cambridge – 888.656.4391 – for details. The initial consultation with a Cambridge counselor is free. If you choose to engage Cambridge to help you with a debt management plan, you will receive an automatic ten percent discount on Cambridge’s fee. Your fee is based on your ability to pay
