FCA authorised · FRN 724952 0117 325 0027Quote & buy →
Insurance explained
Trustee liability for fundraising events is the legal responsibility charity trustees carry for events run in their charity's name. It matters because an injury or misused appeal can lead to claims, inquiries and personal exposure.
Part of: Commercial insurance
In short
Charity trustees stay accountable for fundraising events even when staff, volunteers or third parties run them. Charity Commission guidance (CC20) requires trustees to identify and manage fundraising risks, and the Fundraising Regulator's code requires a risk assessment and clarity about who insures each risk. Public liability is normally recommended for major events and has no statutory minimum. Volunteers should be treated like employees for insurance purposes. Event cancellation, money and personal accident cover fill other gaps, while trustee indemnity covers allegations against the board, not injury claims.
Trustee liability for fundraising events is the personal and organisational exposure that charity trustees carry when their charity raises money through events, from a quiz night to a sponsored challenge. Trustees remain responsible even when staff, volunteers or outside organisers do the work.
The Charity Commission's guidance, Charity fundraising: a guide to trustee duties (CC20), updated in February 2026, says trustees must comply with the law, "only use the funds you raise for the purposes for which they were raised", "manage your charity's resources responsibly" and "act with reasonable care and skill and in your charity's best interests". It adds that "you must identify, review and manage your charity's fundraising risks" and that trustees "remain accountable for your charity's fundraising" when they delegate it.
CC20 also says trustees "should also register with the Fundraising Regulator and follow the Code of Fundraising Practice". The events section of the Code says "you must carry out an appropriate risk assessment before holding an event", that health and safety arrangements must suit the event, that all permissions and licences must be in place, and that organisers should be "clear about who is insuring against each risk".
If a visitor is injured, a stall collapses or a marquee blows over, the injured person will usually claim against the charity. In a charitable company or CIO, the charity is normally the defendant. In an unincorporated charity, the Commission's essential trustee guidance (CC3) warns that trustees "could be liable for any amount that the charity can't cover". The HSE's guidance for volunteers notes that under common law "voluntary organisations and individual volunteers have a duty of care to each other" and to others affected by their work, and that in some cases people injured through negligence can take civil action.
The Commission's guidance on charities and insurance (CC49) says public liability insurance "is normally recommended for major events", that "there is no statutory minimum level of cover", and that if a claim exceeds the limit "the trustees might find themselves personally liable for the shortfall". That is why the limit matters as much as having a policy at all.
| Event risk | Cover that usually responds, subject to terms |
|---|---|
| Member of the public injured or their property damaged | Public liability for events |
| Employee injured while working at the event | Employers' liability, which is compulsory for charities with staff |
| Volunteer injured | Employers' or public liability where the wording includes volunteers, plus personal accident for injuries without fault |
| Event cancelled for weather, venue failure or other insured cause | Event cancellation insurance |
| Cash takings stolen or misappropriated | Money cover or crime insurance |
| Hired equipment or marquee damaged | Property or hired-in plant cover |
| Trustees accused of mismanaging an appeal or misusing restricted funds | Trustee indemnity insurance |
For larger public events, our page on event organisers and Martyn’s Law covers wider security planning questions, and public liability insurance explains the cover in general.
Volunteers are often the people most exposed at events. CC49 says "charities are advised to treat volunteers in the same way as they do their employees" and to make sure they are covered by the usual types of insurance a charity buys. Not every employers' liability wording treats volunteers as employees, so the charity should confirm whether volunteers sit under employers' liability, public liability or both, and consider personal accident cover for injuries where nobody is at fault.
Third parties raise different questions. CC20 explains that professional fundraisers and commercial participators need a written agreement containing "all the details that the law requires" before fundraising begins, and that trustees must monitor those agreements. The Code adds that challenge event participants must be told about conditions, fitness and training before they commit, and that charities should consider whether participants who spend more than a set amount of sponsorship on their own costs should be treated as professional fundraisers.
Community fundraisers who run their own events in the charity's name are a common gap. The charity's public liability policy usually covers events the charity organises and controls, but not necessarily an event run independently by a supporter or a local club. Asking organisers about their own insurance, giving clear written guidance and recording who controls the event helps to answer the Code's question of who is insuring each risk.
These are illustrative examples, not real cases.
Trustee indemnity insurance, or D&O, protects trustees against allegations of breach of duty, such as approving a high-risk event without a risk assessment or misusing restricted funds. It does not normally pay injury claims from visitors, which are excluded and left to public liability. Where trustees buy the cover from charity funds under section 189 of the Charities Act 2011, it must exclude fines, regulatory penalties and liabilities arising from conduct trustees knew was not in the charity's interests.
Fundraising decisions that can lead to claims against trustees include partnerships with commercial participators, data protection breaches in donor marketing and fundraising fraud. Our guide to D&O for charities and our page on how much trustee indemnity cover a charity needs explain the board-level cover.
See our charity insurance guide for the wider programme.
Apex arranges event, liability and trustee indemnity cover for charities; a broker reads every enquiry.
Usually the charity is the defendant, especially if it is a company or CIO. In an unincorporated charity, trustees can be personally exposed if the charity cannot meet a claim. Charity Commission guidance warns trustees may be personally liable for any shortfall above the public liability limit.
It is not a legal requirement, but the Charity Commission says public liability is normally recommended for major events, and venues and councils often require it. The Fundraising Regulator's code also expects organisers to be clear about who is insuring against each risk.
Often, but it depends on the wording. Some employers' liability policies treat volunteers as employees and others cover them under public liability. Charity Commission guidance advises treating volunteers like employees. Personal accident cover can pay for injuries where nobody is at fault.
Not necessarily. A charity's public liability policy usually covers events it organises and controls. Independent community events run in the charity's name may need the organiser's own cover, so charities should check arrangements and give clear written guidance.
It can cover claims and investigations alleging trustees breached their duties in fundraising, such as misusing restricted funds, subject to the policy terms. It does not normally cover injury claims at events, and policies bought from charity funds must exclude fines and penalties.
Tell us what your business does, your turnover and any claims. A broker reads every enquiry and comes back with options. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Start a commercial enquiry Request a callbackApex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
