What Is VIS All About?
Our full name is Volunteers Insurance Service Association, Inc. (VIS®). When we were established in 1972, our only purpose was to provide insurance and risk management services for volunteer-based organizations.
We still do – insuring millions of volunteers who devote their time and skills to private-sector organizations, and governmental entities, nationwide. But we are about much more than insurance. We have practical and proven resources to help our members manage their risks, and manage and improve their operations. We have partnerships that allow members to save substantial time and cost in purchasing noninsurance products and services they need.
So while we have expanded what we do, we have shortened our name – to VIS.
Everything you need to know
We are a membership organization of more than 3,500 volunteer-based nonprofit organizations, and public entities that engage volunteers. We have members in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. We are dedicated to helping our members make the best use of their resources, reduce the cost of quality products and services they need, and manage their risks.
VIS is the only association that offers these three insurance programs designed specifically for volunteers — volunteer accident, volunteer liability, and volunteer excess automobile liability.
You will be able to protect your volunteers with insurance designed specifically for them while preserving the organization’s own insurance coverage and protecting its claims experience. You will enjoy 24/7 access to a wide variety of resources to help you manage the foreseeable risks of volunteer engagement, and access to the products and services offered by our outstanding VIS partners.
Your membership in VIS requires an annual Risk Purchasing Group fee of $140.
By insuring your volunteers separately, rather than including them on the policies that are designed to protect your organization and its employees, you are protecting your limits of liability and your claims experience, in the event of a claim involving a volunteer. You also are closing some significant gaps in coverage that usually exist on your organization’s policies. Finally, you are offering your volunteers a benefit they will value. Volunteers know they have risks. Our program addresses their concerns, and can prevent a serious out-of-pocket loss in the event a volunteer accidentally injures someone, damages someone’s property, or is at fault in a vehicle accident.
We offer three kinds of coverage, available separately or in any combination:
- Accident medical – Up to $50,000 if the volunteer is injured, at $4.40 per volunteer per year
- Volunteer liability – Up to $1 million, if the volunteer is held responsible for bodily injury, personal injury or property damage, at $2.15 per volunteer per year. The policy also defends a volunteer who has been accused of sexual misconduct.
- Excess automobile liability – Up to $500,000, if a volunteer is at fault in a vehicle accident, at $7.75 per volunteer per year.
A $100 minimum premium applies to each kind of coverage.
You just insure the greatest number of volunteers who would be active at any given time.
VIS also offers a very broadly written directors and officers liability policy. The minimum premium is $800, for a $1 million limit.
Yes. Your agent can place the coverage. The cost to you is the same, whether you apply directly (very easy to do, using our online application), or have your agent do it for you.
Protect your organization’s insurance limits of liability and future premium costs by insuring volunteers separately with us and get quick access to a world of valuable risk management resources in our members-only “VIS Vault.”
We’ve identified top providers of products and services, negotiated discounts with many, and continue to vet new providers so you don’t have to.
Our members enjoy such substantial discounts on products and services you’ll save your $25 annual membership fee with your first purchase.
