Policy update
Volunteer liability protection renewed for ten years
Federal protection for uncompensated chapter volunteers has been renewed for another decade, closing NANA's advocacy file on the issue.
Federal liability protection for uncompensated association volunteers was renewed for another ten years on April 30, closing the file NANA's public policy team had tracked since the last renewal deadline approached.
What changed
The protection shields volunteer board members, committee chairs, and chapter officers who serve without pay from personal liability for ordinary negligence in the course of their duties. It does not cover willful misconduct or gross negligence, and it does not replace an organization's own directors and officers coverage.
The renewal reauthorizes the protection on the same terms as the prior authorization, with no new carve-outs and no new conditions on eligible organizations. NANA's public policy team had flagged the earlier authorization's approaching expiration as a monitoring priority, and had prepared member communications for either outcome.
Why it mattered to chapters
Nearly all of NANA's chapter leadership runs on volunteers: roundtable hosts, mentorship pairs, and the officers who sign contracts for meeting space. Director of Public Policy Simone Radcliffe said the renewal removes a recurring source of hesitation among members weighing whether to take on a chapter role.
"The question we heard most at chapter events wasn't about the work. It was 'what happens to me personally if something goes wrong.' This renewal answers that for another decade."
— Simone Radcliffe, Director of Public Policy
Radcliffe said the office had fielded a noticeable rise in member questions about the protection over the past year, mostly from chapter officers signing venue contracts or handling event funds for the first time. Recruitment for volunteer chapter roles, she said, tends to slow whenever the underlying protection is due to lapse, even when a lapse never materializes.
Who is covered, and who isn't
The protection reaches anyone serving an association without compensation in an official governance or committee capacity: board members, committee chairs, and chapter officers. It does not extend to paid staff, to contractors, or to anyone acting outside the scope of their volunteer duties. Ordinary negligence is covered; willful misconduct and gross negligence are not, and neither is any activity a court finds to be outside an organization's own bylaws.
What members should do
Chapter officers should confirm their organization's own D&O policy is current; federal protection does not substitute for it
The Volunteer Leader Handbook walks through what the protection covers and what it doesn't
No action is required to retain the protection; it applies automatically to qualifying volunteer service
Organizations recruiting new chapter officers can point recruits to the renewal as a settled fact, not a pending question
This advocacy file is now marked resolved. NANA will continue to monitor for any narrowing amendments as the renewal moves through implementing guidance, and will update the Volunteer Leader Handbook if agency guidance changes how the protection is interpreted. Members with specific questions about a volunteer's coverage can contact NANA's public policy team directly.
About NANA
NANA is the professional society for association executives, boards, and staff, providing research, peer community, and advocacy for the people who run the organizations that hold civic life together.