April 27, 2016
What would you do if a windstorm damaged the roof of your church or a child tripped over an unsecured cord and injured his elbow? Do you know how to report a claim?
Notify your agent, and police, if necessary
Notify your insurance agent as soon as possible and provide a detailed description of what occurred, including information about the extent of damages. Then, take immediate steps to make reasonable, necessary repairs to protect your property from further damage.
Besides your agent, contact law enforcement in cases such as theft, burglary, vandalism, suspected arson, and other incidents that violate the law or usually require police involvement.
Property claims may require help from an adjuster
Insurers often require two repair estimates when there’s damage to your building. For damage to personal property, you’ll need to submit a complete list of damaged items. Your adjuster will verify the value of the damaged items, so provide as much information about the damaged property as possible.
For extensive losses, you may need a claim adjuster to establish the full extent of your damages and to give you guidance to settle your claim. Your cooperation will enable claims personnel to establish the extent of damages quickly and equitably.
Liability claim settlements are based on negligence
Liability losses involve injury to someone while they are on your grounds or involved in your sponsored activities. You also can be held liable for damage to property that others own and you have borrowed from them.
When an accident occurs, provide appropriate medical care to the injured person immediately, then notify your agent. Just because someone is injured on your premises or at one of your sponsored activities does not mean you are liable for the damages.
Without acknowledging responsibility, provide your insurance company’s name, address, and phone number if an injured person asks. Avoid making statements like, “We’ll take care of everything.” Instead, say, “We’ll report this injury to our insurance company, and they will be in touch with you.”
There are a lot of hats worn in any growing ministry – and we want to serve every one of them.
With the holiday season right around the corner, it’s wise for ministries to evaluate their fire safety plan. Whether your ministry is hosting a holiday party, prepping treats for charity, or running a community kitchen, make sure you’re well-prepared with these tips.
The holidays present unique opportunities and challenges for churches that aren’t typical during other times of the year. A lot of the ministries that I work with are seeing steady increases in attendance and are praying for a significant jump in Christmas service participation this year.
In this article, Brad Brown from Plan A Wealth Management gives a wonderful insight into why ministries might consider choosing a 403(B)(9) retirement plan.
As school is back in session, it’s important to make sure your school is equipped with the correct safety procedures. Thinking about your school’s physical security as a series of layers can help you find gaps in your plan. Transportation and volunteers are just two important aspects of your school safety plan to think about.
If there is one thing I have learned over the last decade while working private security and as a sworn peace officer, the more critical the incident, the more likely change will come out of it. Much like a pendulum, an incident occurs, and everyone cries for change.
Updating the lighting in your worship center with LED can offer significant energy savings while improving overall lighting performance.
We are so excited to welcome the newest member of the American Church Group of Colorado team, Lyndsie Glowinski.
Churches are increasingly becoming targets for cyber criminals. The most common attack is by sending “phishing” emails where the perpetrator poses as someone familiar to the ministry staff (like a senior pastor, deacon, elder, or someone trustworthy) and requests some sort of response.
Anyone who turns on the news, flips through a magazine, or browses the web can see that American society and culture are experiencing rapid transitions. Some ministries have valid concerns that issues surrounding societal shifts may expose them to negative publicity, governmental scrutiny, or litigation.
The questions become: when and how can ministries operate within their deeply held religious beliefs when they may conflict with others’ rights?