How Insurance Industry Associations Help Those in Need

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big “I”) conducts numerous charitable activities throughout the year. At the national association level, one of the primary charitable initiatives has been its partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Big “I” member agents, along with former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann, at a Make-A-Wish event on April 21, 2013, at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va., to benefit local children.

This year, each of the association’s chapters around the country participated in events with Make-A-Wish. Trusted Choice, the consumer branding program for independent insurance agents and brokers, held its third annual social media campaign in August to benefit Make-A-Wish.

The Trusted Choice Disaster Relief Fund assists those who have suffered losses from disasters.

At National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, each state/regional affiliate makes decisions about which charities to support. Regional affiliates’ charitable programs include the following:

Young Insurance Professionals (NJYIP) raised some $143,000 for Special Olympics New Jersey. NJYIP has raised more than $3 million for Special Olympics New Jersey in the past 29 years.

PIA of Virginia & D.C. has been an annual contributor to the Special Olympics of Virginia, averaging a $10,000 contribution yearly.

PIA of Wisconsin helped in collecting cellphones as part of the Cell Phones for Soldiers program.

PIA of Arkansas conducted a toy drive for Arkansas Children’s Hospital Festival of Stars.

The Young Insurance Professionals of Louisiana, at PIA of Louisiana, hosted their annual charity bowl-a-thon in August.

The PLUS Foundation is a separate nonprofit charitable arm of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS).

In 2013, the foundation supported charities across the United States and Canada with $77,500 in grants.

The foundation’s Conference Cause is a way to give back to the communities that host the PLUS Annual Conference. At the conference in 2013 in Orlando, Fla., PLUS members served meals, played games and hosted activities for children and families at Give Kids the World (GKTW), a resort that provides free vacations for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. PLUS Foundation is making a $33,536 grant to GKTW.

At each American Association of Managing General Agents annual meeting, the group’s Under Forty Organization enables members and vendors to be part of efforts to contribute to causes. They have selected the local chapters of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters; Make-A-Wish Foundation; and the Wounded Warrior Project at each location at which the annual meeting is held for its members to contribute.

During the 2013 annual meeting in New Orleans, La., attendees put CARE packages together for U.S. servicemen and women serving overseas.

In 2013, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America made charitable contributions to show support for individuals and families affected by tragic events such as Boston Marathon Bombing and the wildfires in Arizona and Colorado as well as tornadoes in Oklahoma and Illinois. PCI contributed roughly $10,000 through groups such as the One Fund Boston, Red Cross and United Way.

PCI also contributes to its local community through food drives and supporting families in need during the holidays.

Many RIMS chapters conduct their own charitable initiatives. RIMS has devoted this year’s giving efforts to the Food Bank of New York City. Throughout November, RIMS employees donated nonperishable food items and other living essentials to the charity.

At the RIMS annual conference the group selects a charity in the city of the conference to benefit. On April 21, more than 100 risk and insurance professionals assembled puppet stages and classroom story boards for the Child Care Resource Center, a Los Angeles area charity that provides programs, resources and training to a network of more than 25,000 children and families.

The National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Office’s Derek Hughes/NAPSLO Educational Foundation encourages the educational development of those interested in the excess and surplus lines business.

The foundation offers scholarships to college students annually. In addition to the scholarship program, the foundation works on a number of educational products related to the excess and surplus lines industry. The foundation also worked to help establish the Associate in Surplus Lines Insurance (ASLI) designation, which provides education about the surplus lines segment of the industry.

The American Insurance Association’s employees contributed non-perishable food items to the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., which serves nearly 500,000 hungry people in the region.

Additionally, AIA employees based elsewhere in country or who wished to make a monetary contribution were able to participate by making online donations, which enabled the food bank to purchase fresh produce and food at wholesale prices.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has a Volunteer Resource Team in its Kansas City, New York and Washington, D.C. offices. The mission is to coordinate NAIC’s support, services and outreach to charitable organizations in the community.

The team holds monthly fundraisers, with the proceeds going to a variety of charity organizations. In 2013, NAIC donated more than $10,000 to various organizations across the country.