For too many youngsters and their families, a lack of resources often means less access to healthy food, quality education, childcare, health care, and opportunities for success.
Nonprofits that provide children’s advocacy operate with the belief that a child should not have to be born into wealth to have a chance for a brighter future, so their missions work to help bridge that gap to help families access health services, education, advocacy, resources, training, and more.
These nonprofits serve a wide variety of needs for people in many different situations, so when it comes to the insurance coverage that they need to operate, no two organizations have the exact same needs.
So, what do children’s advocacy nonprofits need from their insurance provider?
Meet four children’s advocacy nonprofits.
We talked with some NIA-insured nonprofits whose missions include children’s advocacy. They shared how their unique missions and day-to-day operations helped them determine what they needed most from their insurance coverage.
In their own words…
Friends of the Children – Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
“Friends of the Children – Los Angeles is dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through long-term professional mentorship. We support children from kindergarten to high school graduation, providing each child with a paid, dedicated mentor who empowers them and their families for over 12 years, regardless of circumstances.
Our holistic, two-generation approach fosters resilience and builds critical life skills, ensuring that youth thrive in school and beyond. With proven success, we help children achieve positive outcomes, paving the way for a brighter future.”
— Jorie Das, Executive Director, Friends of the Children – Los Angeles
Valley Oak Children’s Services (Chico, CA)
“Valley Oak Children’s Services is a strength-based family resource center that touches the heart of children, families, and our community through health, education, advocacy, resources, and training.
We provide resource and referral services, assist families with paying for childcare, provide ongoing case management for all families on our childcare payment program, and assist community members starting a child-care business.
We also provide Early Head Start programs, a food program, Parent Cafes, trauma-informed care training, training for parents and childcare providers, a behavioral health support program, and monthly Community Resource Rooms throughout Butte County.
We also work with statewide advocacy organizations to reduce barriers to services they need.”
— Karen Marlatt, CEO, Valley Oak Children’s Services
Center for Youth & Family Advocacy (Arlington, VA)
“Center for Youth & Family Advocacy works to transform systems through collective impact, restorative practices, education, and advocacy, and empowers youths to create and achieve successful outcomes for themselves, their families, and their communities.
We operate two youth restorative justice diversion programs: Promoting Empathy through Equitable Resolution (PEER) and Youth Peer Court (YPC).
YPC is a youth-led, community and equity-based deflection program focused on empowering young people through service-learning opportunities that amplifies accountability, cultural competence, empathy and equity. It provides participants an opportunity to transform the current juvenile system from retributive to restorative.
PEER is a diversion program which provides an equitable approach to the traditional legal and school disciplinary systems. PEER applies restorative practice to address harmful behavior. It is a public-private partnership that works to keep children and youth out of systems, improve opportunity, and sustain community safety.
Finally, our Youth Advisory Board provides middle and high school students a constructive and structured service-learning opportunity to enhance individual growth and community development. Members identify and address local needs while utilizing and strengthening their collective voice as part of an engaged citizenry.”
— Cheyenne Klapper, Student Intern and Youth Advisory Board Coordinator, Center for Youth & Family Advocacy
Architecture + Advocacy (Los Angeles, CA)
“A child born in South L.A. will live 10 years less than one born in Beverly Hills, because some neighborhoods have been designed without fresh grocery stores, parks, or quality housing. Architecture + Advocacy works with youth experiencing this inequality, empowering them to influence the development decisions that shape their lives.
Programs include educational architecture workshops, community-led design-builds (of furniture-scale structures like outdoor seating, community gardens, etc.), community-organizing events, advocacy campaigns, and leadership development.”
— Erin Light, CEO, Architecture + Advocacy
What did these children’s advocacy nonprofits need most from their insurer?
Competitive prices and comprehensive coverage
“The most important factor in choosing NIA as our insurer was the combination of competitive pricing and the comprehensive coverage options offered. We also valued the positive feedback from our partner organizations regarding NIA’s customer service and support, which made us confident in our decision.”
— Jorie Das, Friends of the Children – Los Angeles
An insurer that understands nonprofits
“We needed a company that serves nonprofit organizations and understands what our businesses need.”
— Karen Marlatt, Valley Oak Children’s Services
Protect our interests while making a difference
“Our organization needed coverage that would help us further our mission, allowing us to protect our interests while making a meaningful difference in the communities we serve.”
— Cheyenne Klapper, Center for Youth & Family Advocacy
A professional and responsive insurance provider
“When we were first choosing insurance, another company was unprofessional — not getting back to me on time, confusing us with another organization, etc. I have never had that experience with NIA!”
— Erin Light, Architecture + Advocacy
How did these children’s advocacy nonprofits hear about NIA?
Referrals from partner organizations
“Our organization learned about NIA through referrals from our partner organizations. They highlighted NIA’s services and expertise, which led us to explore the possibility of securing insurance.”
— Jorie Das, Friends of the Children – Los Angeles
A predecessor’s decision
“I have worked at Valley Oak Children’s Services for 20 years, and we have always been insured by NIA during that time.”
— Karen Marlatt, Valley Oak Children’s Services
Comparison shopping for coverage
“We found NIA as an insurer through a thorough research process where we evaluated various insurance providers. In our comparison of options tailored for nonprofits, NIA consistently stood out as the best choice.
Their commitment to understanding the unique needs of organizations like ours, along with their comprehensive coverage and exceptional service, ultimately led us to select them as our insurance provider.”
— Cheyenne Klapper, Center for Youth & Family Advocacy
Since becoming an NIA member, how has that relationship helped these children’s advocacy nonprofits?
Insurance tailored to fit nonprofits’ needs
“We have had a wonderful experience working with NIA. Their team is not only responsive and attentive to our needs, but they also provide tailored solutions that truly fit our organization.
NIA’s commitment to excellent customer service and proactive risk management gives us confidence as we focus on our mission. We highly recommend NIA to any organization looking for a reliable insurance partner.”
— Jorie Das, Friends of the Children – Los Angeles
Good coverage, unbeatable resources
“NIA is great for nonprofits. Not only is the coverage good, but the training and resources offered by NIA are unbeatable.
What I like about working with NIA is, when we have a potentially legal issue, we can consult with NIA and get the help we need to handle any situation and minimize risk to our employees and our organization. If I have a question, NIA is only a phone call away.
The website is easy to navigate and, if you need it, there are help instructions to find what you need. Our organization has used many resources, such as the risk management library, screening services at a discounted rate for new hires, HR consulting services, harassment prevention training, and the handbook builder.”
— Karen Marlatt, Valley Oak Children’s Services
A genuine dedication to supporting nonprofits
“NIA elevates the role of a conventional insurance provider. NIA stands as a remarkable ally for nonprofits, especially small organizations, offering not just insurance, but a wealth of resources that empower their missions and enhance their impact in the community.
When our organization decided to go with NIA, what stood out the most was not just the excellent insurance and customer service, but a genuine dedication to supporting nonprofits.”
— Cheyenne Klapper, Center for Youth & Family Advocacy
Additional support for risk management plans
“The most important factor is all of the additional support for creating risk management plans and policies NIA provides! As a young, start-up nonprofit, this was the top thing we were looking for in an insurer, and we are so glad we found it!
After all, the best insurance is never having to use your insurance. NIA has really helped us avoid risk in the first place, and in the process, attract more trust from donors and other stakeholders.”
— Erin Light, Architecture + Advocacy
Children’s advocacy nonprofits need insurance that’s designed for them.
Why do nonprofits that offer children’s advocacy prefer to get their insurance coverage from NIA?
It’s easy: They want insurance coverage that’s designed for nonprofits; they want access to resources that support and protect their missions; they want to speak to a real person when they have questions — and they don’t want to break their budgets to get it.
These children’s advocacy nonprofits are there to support families and give them opportunities and resources for success — they deserve an insurance provider that gives them that same level of support.
