Of course, Regpack is one of the best resources for getting people registered for your camp, but what about your other specific needs? One big thing that you should be thinking about is insurance. Camp is supposed to be a time for new friends, new skills, and fun. If – perish the thought – there should be an accident or other event at your camp, how would you pay for it?
Fortunately, there are a lot of different options in the insurance industry for covering your camp, your campers, and your staff. If you don’t own the camp that your organization is using, whoever owns the camp may already have some kind of insurance. If you are renting a camp, talk to the owner to see what insurance they may already have and what insurance you may still need.
1. Property Insurance
Property insurance insures permanent structures and some other items in the event that they may be damaged or stolen. Some property insurance policies cover the entire cost of the damaged structures or items, but others will only repay a partial amount and only under certain circumstances. Because there are so many different kinds of property insurance, you should be sure to understand your policy before you begin using the camp.
If you don’t own the camp, the owner of the camp probably already has property insurance. If this is the case, talk to the camp owner to understand how the policy treats camp renters, as well as other intricacies.
2. Specialty Insurance
Specialty insurance is similar to property insurance but typically covers larger items, like watercraft. It can also cover items in events that are not typically covered under other insurance policies. If these potentially expensive items are owned by the camp it is not your responsibility to insure them. If you rent these items from a vendor, they are probably already insured. You are only likely to need this kind of insurance if your organization owns these big-ticket items.
3. Special Event Insurance
Special Event Insurance is similar to specialty insurance in that it is a very flexible term that can be used in fairly unique circumstances. This kind of insurance is good for organizations that are doing something that they don’t usually do, or don’t do often. It can be helpful because it is good at weaving in between things that are already covered by various policies and by various holders. It can also be very time-consuming and expensive to set up a policy, however, so if your camp is a main feature of your organization, it might not be right for you.
4. Personal Property Insurance
Personal Property Insurance, also called renters insurance, is similar to property insurance but does not insure fixed structures. This is another kind of insurance that the camp owner might have, but it is likely to only protect things owned by the camp. If there are any expensive items that your organization will be using at the camp, you may need this kind of insurance to protect those items.
It is also possible that your organization already has some degree of coverage in this area. If that is the case, you should understand what coverage your organization already has before seeking additional coverage.
5. General Liability Insurance
General Liability coverage is the kind of insurance that protects an organization if an individual is injured on their grounds or during their activity.
This is another kind of insurance that you may not need if your organization does not own the camp that it is using for its outdoor activities. The camp owner may have general liability insurance, but you should be sure that this insurance covers renters.
There’s also a possibility that your organization already has general liability insurance. The same general liability insurance that protects your organization at the office may also protect it at camp. It’s important to understand your organization’s existing general liability insurance coverage. You don’t want to pay extra for coverage you already have, but you also don’t want to assume that you have coverage in a new place.
6. Participation/Volunteer Insurance
Participant/Volunteer Insurance is similar to general liability insurance, though it doesn’t require anyone to be legally “at fault.” In the case of general liability insurance, someone needs to be found legally “at fault” in order for insurance to pay out. In the case of the camp, it is usually the organization hosting the campers or whoever owns the physical camp.
Having participant/volunteer insurance instead of general liability insurance can result in faster payouts, and can prevent costs from going up in the event of a claim.
7. Workers Compensation
Workers Compensation protects employees who are injured on the job by paying their medical bills and at least a portion of any wages that they may lose while they are injured. It also protects your organization from being sued by workers who are injured on the job.
This is a kind of insurance that you should think about regardless of whether or not your organization owns the camp that it uses. Even if the camp owner has workers compensation insurance, it won’t protect renters – only people who work directly for the organization.
However, this is another form of insurance that your organization might already have. You’ll need to be familiar with your organization’s policy to understand how it works in relation to workers away from the office, volunteers, &c. For example, if your camp is staffed by volunteers, you may not need workers compensation because volunteers don’t suffer wage loss when injured and any medical needs may already be covered by general liability insurance or participant/volunteer insurance.
8. Vehicle Liability Insurance
Vehicle Liability Insurance covers vehicles in the event of various situations or hazards. For small operations, you are likely already covered. This kind of insurance is more commonly known as “Car insurance,” and most people have some form of it already. If you get your campers to camp in cars owned by your organization, or if the campers get there on their own, you don’t need to worry about this kind of insurance.
However, if you are using a larger vehicle, like a bus, to get your campers to camp, these vehicles may require special kinds of insurance. Of course, it’s probably been taken care of already by whoever owns the bus, like a bus company, the camp, or your organization. In the end, vehicle liability insurance is more of a box that you need to check than a check you need to write. You should know that all vehicles are insured appropriately, by whom, and what that insurance covers, but it probably won’t be an additional expense.
9. Business Interruption Insurance
Business Interruption Insurance covers the profit that a business might lose in the event of some kind of disaster. If you are a non-profit organization, you may not be liable for business interruption insurance. Further, business interruption insurance may be owned by whoever owns the physical camp, but then it’s not really your business … unless you own the camp. It’s a little complicated. In short, you only need business interruption insurance for your camp if you own the camp and run it on a for-profit basis. Then, if you have insurance, you can make a claim if you can’t open the camp because of something like a flood or a fire.
10. Management Liability Insurance
Management Liability Insurance protects the managers of your organization from lawsuits in the event of mismanagement or other crimes of a corporate or criminal nature. Many organizations already have management liability insurance as part of a larger business owner’s policy, but there are also insurance companies that sell these policies to non-profits.
Your organization should have some form of management liability insurance, but there’s a good chance that it already does.
Camp Insurance Providers
The kind of insurance that you get isn’t all that matters. Going with a good insurance provider can make all of the difference. While we encourage you to shop around, these are a few providers that we may recommend.
Markel Insurance
Markel Insurance has been in the camp business for a long time. They offer a number of comprehensive packages for whatever insurance needs your organization may need to provide the best camp experience. Their website is also a great place to learn about the intricacies of camp coverage.
Trusted Choice
Trusted Choice offers a great general liability policy including bodily injury, property liability and medical payments as well as camp and staff accidental medical insurance.
K&K Insurance
K&K Insurance offers policies for activity camps, boy scouts, conference centers, day camps, leadership camps, learning camps, religious retreats, resident camps, summer camps and more. Their policies include general liability, property, and more. They “take fun seriously”!
Travmark
Travmark has a great resource on the top things to know when buying summer camp insurance which is a great resource to all Camp Operators. They also offer camp accident coverage and liability insurance coverage.
Other Providers
Most major insurance companies offer some of the services mentioned above. If your organization already has some kind of insurance packages, consider talking to your current provider. It may be cheaper to insure your camp activities through the same provider that ensures other aspects of your organization.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right coverage for your organization’s camp can take a long time and involve contacting a large number of people. It’s important to have all of your documents in order well in advance to give yourself all of the time that you need to shop around with different providers to get the best option at the best price. Summer camp insurance covers all your bases, unexpected events, and possible outcomes. Whether you run a day camp, overnight camp, or a specialty camp like sports camps and technical camps, protect yourself, your campers, and your employees with the right insurance.
