Charity First : Everything you need to know

Charity First: Everything you need to know

Headquarters address

 595 Market Street, Suite 2100, San Francisco, California 94105, United States

Year established

 1985
Size (employees) About 20
Underwriting expertise Property & casualty insurance for non-profits
Key people Maureen Dyson (area executive vice-president), Robin Holliday (area vice-president & director of underwriting), Julie Joves (area vice-president, wholesale & workers’ compensation)

About Charity First

Charity First Insurance Services started as a program manager for the property and casualty insurance industry, offering retail insurance brokers across the US products and services to meet the unique needs of the non-profit sector. Over the years, it has expanded its footprint to include a comprehensive program for religious institutions and insurance products for for-profit commercial accounts and hard-to-place risks.

Charity First has become the go-to source for the non-profit and religious sectors, providing retail brokers nationwide with high-quality underwriting and risk management services.

Among the products in the insurer’s portfolio are commercial general liability, automobile, property, workers’ compensation, directors’ and officers’ liability, employment practices liability, abuse and molestation, professional liability, fiduciary liability, crime, and property inland marine insurance. It also provides international coverage and umbrella policies.

Guiding principles

According to its website, Charity First’s foundation is “honesty and integrity.” The insurer operates on a formal set of standards, training, and compliance audits to help ensure that it conducts business in adherence with legal expectations and its guiding principles, which are:

  • To partner with top-rated carriers to bring innovative products, services, and resources to meet the ever-changing needs of this specialty niche
  • To continually strive for the highest professional excellence in the delivery of those products and services by staff members who understand the value of creating loyalty, relationships, and engaging clients
  • To contribute to the growth of clients’ businesses through its expertise and service in the nonprofit insurance marketplace

Leadership at Charity First

Maureen Dyson – area executive vice-president

Dyson joined Charity First in 2002 and has since held several leadership roles in underwriting, operations, and management. She continually looks for ways to expand the company’s offerings while utilizing technology to streamline procedures. Dyson started her insurance career as an underwriter for Farmers Insurance. She then moved to CSAA Insurance Group, working on the firm’s expansion states program, which included system projects, rate development, and workflows.

Robin Holliday – area vice-president & director of underwriting

Holliday joined Charity First in 2011. She manages the company’s new and renewal underwriting teams. Throughout her career, Holliday has held senior underwriting and supervisory positions for a variety of insurance carriers, including Zenith, Industrial Indemnity, and Berkshire Hathaway.

Julie Joves – area vice-president, wholesale & workers’ compensation

Joves joined Charity First in 2015. She manages the company’s workers’ compensation underwriting team and other whole products division. Joves began her career as a sales assistant at the State Compensation Insurance Fund, achieving the status of underwriter before transitioning to the employers' insurance group in 2007. She boasts a strong background in workers’ compensation underwriting.

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