Every nonprofit thinks they need an insurance professional, a CPA, and a lawyer on their board, but that is not always possible. Even if these professionals served on your board, it might create a conflict of interest for them to represent the nonprofit directly if you also expect them to provide objective professional advice to the nonprofit. Far better is to find volunteers in the community to serve on appropriate committees who are willing to roll up their sleeves but who are not the designated insurance broker, legal counsel or audit representative for the nonprofit. What if the nonprofit is not pleased with the insurance agent’s performance? It is very awkward to fire your board member! A better solution is to include your insurance broker on a risk management committee that identifies priorities for addressing risk.
