Across the U.S., disaster-related losses have exceeded $1 trillion in just the past seven years—but it’s not only hurricanes or wildfires causing damage. More frequent threats like water leaks, power outages, and storm damage are becoming costly realities. For house corporation volunteers, the old approach—“buy insurance and react to loss”—is no longer sufficient. With insurers tightening terms and raising premiums, proactive risk hardening is now essential.

Risk hardening means taking proactive steps to make your chapter house stronger, safer, and better prepared to handle damage from things like storms, water leaks, or power outages.

It’s about investing in simple upgrades, preventive maintenance, and smart planning to reduce the chances of serious damage—and to help your facility bounce back quickly if something does go wrong.

For example, installing leak detection sensors, reinforcing the roof, trimming back trees, or creating a basic emergency plan are all ways to “harden” your risk.

Think of it as safeguarding the chapter house now to avoid bigger problems later.

Taking preventive steps can significantly reduce both financial and operational impact for chapter houses. Every $1 spent on mitigation saves roughly $4–6 in post-disaster recovery costs. That’s savings you can invest back into your facility and protect your members’ well-being.

Risk hardening isn’t just about upgraded building materials—it’s about thoughtful planning and clear communication:

Being proactive is more than a best practice—it’s a duty of care. Your role is to steward the property for current and future members. Strengthening the chapter house today not only limits financial loss—it fosters a safer, more secure environment for your members and your organization.

As always, contact us with any questions.

Summer often brings quieter campuses—but it also brings an uptick in severe weather risks. From torrential rain and flash flooding to high winds, hurricanes, and even tornadoes, the summer season can cause serious property damage, particularly when chapter houses are unoccupied or unmonitored.

While you can’t prevent storms, you can reduce their impact by preparing the facility in advance. Here are five smart steps house corporations and property managers can take now to protect the chapter house during the summer months.

1. Identify and Address Hidden Vulnerabilities

Storm damage is often worsened by small maintenance issues that have gone unnoticed. Roof leaks, cracked foundations, blocked drainage, or worn seals around doors and windows can all become big problems when severe weather hits.

Before the height of summer storm season, walk the property or coordinate a professional inspection. Focus on known weak spots—roof seams, basement entries, foundation cracks, and aging drainage systems. Clear gutters and downspouts to ensure water flows away from the house, not toward it. Fixing these issues now can help avoid emergency repairs and insurance claims later.

Applicable MJ resources to help:

2. Establish a Local Emergency Contact

With the chapter members away during the summer, having someone nearby who can respond quickly is essential. Designate a local point of contact—such as a House Director, House Corporation volunteer, chapter advisor, or trusted contractor—who can monitor severe weather alerts and physically check the house following a storm.

This person can assess damage early, prevent additional losses (such as water intrusion), and coordinate immediate repairs. Even something as simple as tarping a roof or boarding a window can make a major difference in preventing further damage.

Applicable MJ resources:

3. Don’t Underestimate Flood Risk

Flooding isn’t just a coastal or river-adjacent risk—it can happen anywhere, especially when sudden storms overwhelm local drainage systems. Older homes or those with basements are particularly vulnerable.

Evaluate your property’s risk and consider steps such as:

Read more about increasingly severe storms and how best to prepare. Learn more about leak detection technology to help minimize water damage.

4. Prepare for Wind Damage Before It Happens

High winds from summer storms can be incredibly destructive. They can tear off shingles, topple trees, and turn outdoor furniture into airborne hazards.

Help reduce your risk by:

Applicable MJ resources to learn more:

5. Emergency Planning Isn’t Optional—It’s Essential

Having a documented emergency response plan is a crucial part of risk management, but a plan that’s never shared or practiced won’t be much help in the middle of a storm. House Corporations should take time each year to review and update their storm and emergency procedures. Make sure everyone involved—house directors, local volunteers, advisors, and key vendors—knows their role before a crisis occurs.

Think through the key questions:

Even if the house is unoccupied, a clear response protocol helps minimize damage, speeds up repairs, and keeps everyone informed and prepared.Bottom of Form

Advance Planning Makes a Big Difference

With the chapter house unoccupied, it’s easy for minor issues to go unnoticed until they become major problems. Taking time now to prepare for summer weather can protect the property and reduce your to-do list come fall move-in. If you’re unsure where to start, your MJ Sorority team is always here to support you.

When you’re hosting an event at a venue or other third-party location, your organization’s guidelines require that you obtain proof of insurance from that venue. This is done through a certificate of insurance. A certificate of insurance (COI) is a document that shows a business has insurance coverage. The venue may very well also request to see your organization’s COI, which you can request here (remember you need to have a written request from the venue, often found in your contract!). And be sure to obtain a venue’s COI before signing a contract with the venue for your event.

A certificate of insurance is an official document that summarizes an organization’s insurance coverage. It is the only acceptable form of this confirmation and is part of your due diligence in vetting the venue for an event. Sometimes venues offer declarations sheets or other parts of their policy as proof of insurance. This is not the same as a certificate and should not be accepted.

So you’ve gotten a venue’s certificate of insurance—now what? Certificates of insurance include a wide variety of information, some of which is important, and some of which isn’t relevant to your review. When you receive a certificate, the following are items you should absolutely look for:

Who is the named insured? The named insured should be the name of the vendor. Sometimes this may be a different name “doing business as” the “name of the venue”. For example, if you’re hosting an event at ABC Event Center, the venue’s COI may have the named insured listed as “XYZ Corporation, doing business as ABC Event Center”.

What are the policy limits? MJ recommends that third parties hold the following minimum limits of liability insurance:

If a third-party does not hold these minimum limits, please contact your headquarters to determine whether you need to identify an alternative option. There may be some exceptions and differentiations in your organization’s event guidelines.

Liquor liability in particular can be tricky as sometimes it’s listed separately and sometimes is included in the general liability coverage. If it’s included under the general liability section, liquor liability coverage will be noted specifically and you should be able to easily deduce that there is adequate coverage.

What are the policy effective dates? The effective dates are typically one year in length and should cover the date(s) of your event. If the policy is for a short period of time or do not cover the date(s) of your event, the certificate does not provide proof of coverage for your event and you should reach back out to the venue to get clarification and another certificate that provides proof of adequate coverage for your event.

Is your organization listed as a certificate holder? Being a certificate holder means you’re receiving a (COI) to verify that the policyholder has adequate insurance coverage. You are not covered by the policy and don’t have any rights under it. While this may not be required by your organization, it confirms that you have received an up-to-date policy pulled specifically at your request.

Most certificates are relatively straightforward, however, there are some things to look out for that may be problematic:

Obtaining a COI is a vital risk management practice when planning events and is a lifelong skill! When hiring a contractor to work on your home or hosting a wedding or baby shower for a friend, you will again run into certificate review.

Click here for a sample COI with our recommendations.

Officer transitions are a pivotal time for any sorority chapter. A well-executed transition maintains stability and preserves institutional knowledge. Without proper planning, chapters risk losing valuable experience and insight. We are noticing how important it is for chapter officers and advisors to help train their replacements to ensure continuity, especially in the area of event planning.

No matter what time of year your officers are transitioning, here are some tips to make officer transitions seamless and effective:

Transitions shouldn’t begin when new officers are elected—they should be an ongoing process. Encourage outgoing officers to document their roles and responsibilities throughout their term so new leaders don’t have to start from scratch.

Each position should have a detailed manual outlining key duties, deadlines, and best practices. This can include:

Outgoing officers should meet individually with their successors to provide hands-on training. Walking through daily tasks, software tools, and decision-making processes helps new officers feel more prepared. We are also available to develop and deliver risk management education for officers during larger officer transition periods. Contact Kit Moorman, Director of Risk Management Education, for more information.

A group meeting with both outgoing and incoming executive boards fosters collaboration and alignment on chapter goals. This is also a great time to discuss upcoming initiatives, potential challenges, and strategic plans for the year ahead.

Advisors and alumnae can provide continuity by offering historical context and best practices. Encourage new officers to maintain open communication with these key resources.

A shared, organized digital archive (such as Google Drive or a chapter management platform) ensures critical documents are easily accessible and not lost between transitions.

Ask outgoing officers to share what worked well and what could be improved. Creating an open dialogue allows new leaders to learn from past experiences and refine their approach.

By prioritizing a structured transition process, chapters can ensure their new officers step into their roles with confidence, armed with the knowledge and resources they need to succeed. A strong transition plan not only preserves the chapter’s legacy but also sets the foundation for future success.

Even with protections put in place by internal IT departments or outside partners, email remains an unsecured and unreliable technology capable of being hacked, altered and manipulated. Read this report by our partners at CHUBB outlining some of the most prominent tactics that bad actors are using in their social engineering schemes. Included are examples of the most common schemes and the best ways to prevent them.

In an ideal world, house corporations can evaluate the physical state of their properties and plan to address concerns and make updates to chapter houses as their schedules and financial circumstances allow. However, in the real world, this isn’t always possible and work needs to be done on the property due to unforeseen weather damage, a water leak, or other unexpected event that can lead to a claim.
 
Roof damage can be particularly disruptive and requires immediate attention. As your partner in managing these claims, MJ wants to be sure you’re thinking about the long-term implications of the choices you make when repairing or replacing the damaged roof. As always, our goal is to carry the claim effectively and efficiently through the process with your carrier and make you aware of the latest technologies and materials to consider when addressing the damage to your property.
 
As you begin repairs and/or replacement of your roof, we would encourage you to consider, at the very least, an assessment of the state of your roof before beginning repairs. This is best practice when beginning repairs on any claim as you consider the efficiencies and potential benefits of making improvements along with repairs.
 
Your current carrier provides comprehensive coverage to “repair or replace the damaged area with materials of like kind and quality.”  Addressing your roof claim is the perfect opportunity to implement additional fortification measures that may prevent or mitigate future damage. Most notably, while you may receive quotes that meet your state’s building code requirements, these should be treated as the minimum of repairs, and you should strongly consider hiring a contractor that will take additional measures to fortify your roof with technologies like impact resistant shingles and wind and rain resistant ventilation. While these decisions may be difficult to make when you’re making improvements beyond the replacement value covered by your policy, we firmly believe that the use of higher quality materials will save you in the long run.
 
You are likely going to be replacing shingles that, due to their age, are not engineered to be as wind resistant as the newer, more advanced shingles available on the market today. Worsening weather conditions have included significantly stronger winds in areas that have not historically experienced such extreme weather, waring on older structures not built to withstand increasingly high winds. This map, maintained by FEMA, may help you evaluate your risk for wind at your property. You will need to evaluate whether the increased cost of these shingles and other fortification measures will save you in the long run should another wind/hail incident occur.
 
See below for resources outlining these innovative solutions, measures we believe are imperative to maintaining your insurance coverage long term and maximizing the longevity of your roof. Also included is a webinar with contact information for our business partner, Bone Dry, who may be able to provide an assessment of your roof and provide recommendations for fortification.
 
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Importance of Roof Inspections
Updating and Maintaining Your Chapter House Roof
Webinar: Managing Your Chapter Roofs with Bone Dry 
 
If you are able, a claim can be an opportunity to make improvements to your chapter house roof and prevent future damage. Reducing the frequency and severity of future claims to your roof serves to maintain your premium and preserve the comprehensive coverage that the MJ Sorority program provides. We encourage you to reach out to our team with any questions about preferred materials as you make a plan to repair or replace your roof.

As a property owner of a sorority chapter house, you likely keep a close eye on the building’s interior, exterior, and overall maintenance to ensure it remains safe and well-kept. However, there’s one critical area that might not get the same level of attention — the roof. Since it’s “out of sight,” it often becomes “out of mind.” Unless there’s visible interior leaking or a recent windstorm, roofs rarely make it onto a regular inspection or maintenance plan.

Why This Matters Now

If you’ve been keeping up with MJ Sorority’s newsletters over the past two years, you know the property insurance market is experiencing significant challenges. Insurance companies are grappling with rising property claims due to changing weather patterns, which has led to several adjustments, including:

Fortunately, the insurance company providing sorority property coverage has taken a more balanced approach to these market shifts. However, to maintain comprehensive coverage, proactive risk management — like roof maintenance — is key.

The Value of Annual Roof Inspections

We’ve consulted with roofing contractors, and the message is clear: regular roof inspections are essential. Here’s why:

Getting Started

Travelers Insurance offers a helpful resource to guide your roof inspection planning: How to Build a Commercial Roof Inspection Plan.

The frequency of roof inspections will depend on various factors, so we recommend consulting with a qualified roofing contractor to determine the best schedule for your chapter house. As insurers continue to scrutinize roof conditions, incorporating regular inspections into your property maintenance program is more important than ever.

By taking these proactive steps, you not only help protect your chapter house but also contribute to maintaining stable and comprehensive insurance coverage for the sorority community.

ACH transactions are electronic money transfers made between banks and credit unions across the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. While convenient and sometimes appropriate, you should NEVER fulfill a request to wire money from an email alone. Below are some examples of language vetted by a cyber law firm that can be helpful to include in your email signature as notice of your organization’s best cyber practices on this topic:

Over the past several years, the United States has been plagued by property-related catastrophes, including, but not limited to, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, convective storms, frigid temperatures, excessive snowstorms, hailstorms and wildfires. The sorority houses insured under the MJ Sorority Insurance Program have not been immune to these unfortunate events with a tornado significantly damaging two sorority chapter houses in 2022 and forty-four freeze claims in December 24-25, 2022.

Due to billions of dollars in paid insurance claims, all insurance carriers are struggling with how to handle the situation. Regardless of your current deductible, MJ Sorority appreciates your claims submissions, even if they will not meet your deductible. This information helps us provide historical data to our carrier, ensuring that we can communicate accurately the impact that these changing weather patterns, especially in wind and hail, have had on the program’s insured properties.

If your property suffers wind and hail damage, please be sure to contact us.

No industry or business is immune to a cyber-attack. Your organization, knowingly or not, has likely experienced some brush with a cyber breach, potential breach, or near miss. Cyber threats emerge and evolve quickly, making them both difficult to predict and potentially volatile to manage.

The Greek community in particular is ripe for attack due to the volume and breadth of members’ personal identifiable information (PII) that is collected and stored by organizations. A breach of this information causes not only tangible and quantifiable harm, but also reputational harm, which can take years to rebuild, and in some cases, is lost forever.

Proactive risk management can make all the difference in the event of a cyber threat or breach. With that in mind, MJ Sorority has assembled a Cyber Toolkit to help your organization engage with key leadership, employees, and members to keep your operations safe and prevent business disruption due to cyber related incidents.

Here’s a peek into what’s included:

This kit equips your team to respond efficiently and effectively in the event of a breach or cyber-attack. We hope that you use the opportunities outlined in this communication to gain valuable insights about your current cyber security and make updates where you may be vulnerable. While this kit is not comprehensive, it can certainly help inform your next steps in creating and maintaining a secure environment for your employees, members, and other stakeholders.

Through education and proactive measures, we can mitigate the risks posed by malicious actors and safeguard sensitive information in an increasingly interconnected world.

If you have any questions about the programs and resources provided by MJ Sorority and our partners, please reach out to Kit Clark Moorman at kit.moorman@mjsorority.com.

Deepfakes

With new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies emerging every day, the threat of deep fakes is becoming more prominent and more dangerous, fooling even the keenest of eyes. A deepfake is a fabricated, extremely realistic image or video that has been digitally altered to impersonate someone else. They are typically used to spread false information or trick individuals into complying with the requests of a cybercriminal.

With the ability to convincingly impersonate real people, cyber criminals are able to orchestrate highly effective phishing scams, identity theft operations, and other cyber crimes that can have huge impact on your business operations and the safety of your personally identifiable information (PII).

Learn more about the threat of deepfakes and how your organization can get ahead of cyber criminals using this technology for malicious purposes here.

Complimentary and Discounted Cyber Services for Clients

Through your CHUBB policy (check with your client executive to see if you are covered), clients have access to a selection of essential mitigation tools and advisory resources that can help reduce your exposure. From cyber incident response solutions to education and training, CHUBB has compiled a group of experts to offer their services at a significant discount, sometimes even free of charge.

You can check out a full list of offerings here and learn more through CHUBB’s eRisk Hub. In addition, we have pulled a few FAQs and basic, complimentary services that you can learn more about in this loss mitigation article.

If you have questions about setting up or logging into your eRisk account, please contact your client executive.

Malware Response

Malware, short for malicious software, refers to intrusive and harmful programs or files developed by cybercriminals to steal, damage, or destroy data. Typically hidden in files, images, malware is usually distributed through malicious websites, emails and software.

We are all vulnerable to clicking on a link or attachment that contains malware, usually inadvertently. This article helps outline the important and immediate steps you and your organization should take in the event of a malware infection.

Managing Cyber Risk

Over the last decade, cyber security has evolved from a niche concern of IT professionals to a major priority for CEOs and Boards of Directors. Company leaders are now charged with managing cyber risk with the same urgency that they have treated tradition business risk in the past.

This paper explains the different forms of cyber risk and shows how the threat level has risen in recent years. It provides a basic framework for managing cyber risk. It also poses five key questions that business leaders should ask themselves to ensure their cyber risk stance is sufficiently robust and resilient to meet evolving threats.

The MJ Companies Cyber Practice

The MJ Companies has a specific cyber insurance practice, which has also developed several resources and services for your benefit. Please see the links below to engage with some of MJ’s free resources and for information on reviewing and assessing your organization’s cyber resilience with our team of experts.

Phishing

A common form of social engineering, phishing, occurs when a bad actor communicates via email, phone or text, requesting that a recipient take action, such as click on a link or provide account information. The collected information is then used to gain unauthorized access to protected PII or other data that isn’t meant to be shared.

See this article for examples of phishing attacks. The examples provided cost the victim-companies millions of dollars, with bad actors using a combination of phishing scams and business email compromise to manipulate people into sharing PII and in turn using that information to collect funds.

Phishing attacks can be particularly problematic as hackers use our own instincts against us, gaining access to PII by a victim’s own hand. KnowBe4, a partner of The MJ Companies, offers phishing simulations to help train employees to be wary of this kind of attack, discounted for MJ clients. To learn more, please reach out to Kit Clark Moorman at kit.moorman@mjsorority.com.

Business Email Compromise

In today’s digital world, the growing impact of cyber-attacks have become an ever-pressing concern for businesses of all sizes and across industries. While ransom events tend to capture the brunt of media attention, Business Email Compromise (BEC)—a type of cyber-attack where hackers gain access to a business email account and trick employees into sharing sensitive information or transferring funds—is actually among one of the most prevalent and damaging.

Check out this free webinar on the topic, hosted by MJ’s Carol Scully.

ACH Transactions Language

ACH transactions are electronic money transfers made between banks and credit unions across the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. While convenient and sometimes appropriate, you should NEVER fulfill a request to wire money from an email alone. Below are some examples of language vetted by a cyber law firm that can be helpful to include in your email signature as notice of your organization’s best cyber practices on this topic:

Data Privacy Provisions for Vendor Agreements

When contracting with third party vendors, it is important to be sure that you are reviewing contracts for appropriate data privacy provisions. Privacy provisions explain how a third party can collect, use and distribute PII and what other obligations that vendor will have with regards to the PII you share with them. See this document, compiled by CHUBB partner McDonald Hopkins, for some suggested language to look for or add to vendor contracts that addresses the handling of PII.  

Sorority Program Claim Examples

Click here for examples for the MJ Sorority program that help demonstrate the need for risk management around cyber risks.

Ensuring the safety and security of the chapter house is obviously a top priority. The chapter house is not just a residence; it is a home where members build lifelong bonds, create cherished memories, and engage in activities that shape their futures. Given its significance, implementing robust security measures is essential to protect both the physical space and the well-being of its residents. One of the most advanced and effective security solutions available today is biometric entry systems.

Biometric entry systems utilize unique biological traits, such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris scans, to grant access. Unlike traditional locks and keys or even electronic keycards, biometric systems offer several distinct advantages that make them particularly well-suited for sorority chapter houses.

If your chapter house utilizes a biometric security system, it is prudent to provide annual written notice to all individuals whose biometric information identifiers are collected or stored and specify the purpose of the collection and length of time the information identifiers will be held, stored, and used. Written consent and release of this information should be included in an annual housing agreement. Read more about our suggestions for Housing Agreements here.

Investing in a biometric entry system for the sorority chapter house is a forward-thinking decision that prioritizes the safety and well-being of your members. By leveraging advanced technology, the chapter can provide a secure, convenient, and efficient environment that supports the flourishing of its community. In a world where security concerns are ever-present, adopting biometric entry systems reflects a commitment to excellence and proactive care for all members of the sorority.

From May 2024 News & Notes

In times like these, the stability of your insurance companies is critical. The pandemic challenged every aspect of the fraternal community. Both your insurance companies and MJ Sorority, as your insurance agent, made significant concessions to help alleviate some of the pressures your organizations have faced.

The insurance industry went from the chaos of the pandemic to the chaos of the effects of climate change, specifically the catastrophic weather events we’ve experienced over the last several years. Insurance coverage and policy terms and conditions are on a collision course with the changing climate in many states, most notably in Florida and Louisiana. The seriousness of changing climate patterns is further compounded by the fact that in Florida’s southwestern coastline, sea levels have risen eight inches since 1950, and the risk of storm surge is estimated to double by 2030. Louisiana’s coastline is facing a similar risk. Florida is by far the most worrisome for standard property insurance companies. Several insurance companies providing property insurance in the state have gone insolvent despite state and industry efforts to prevent insolvency. To stabilize the insurance market, the Florida state government began the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund in 1992. The Fund reimburses insurers for a percentage of catastrophic hurricane claims. Insurers of last resort were formed and in 2002, both carriers merged to become Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Some additional insurance capital (or capacity) is returning to Florida in 2024, however, this has not provided much, if any, relief to consumers trying to find insured coverage for their property.

As we’ve discussed repeatedly in this newsletter, the property insurance market has been chaotic for several years. Recently, the MJ Sorority program has experienced rate increases and changes in wind and hail property deductibles in certain parts of the country.

It’s natural to feel that these changes suggest your insurance companies are abandoning the program. However, these actions are actually positioning the program for a stable future.

Without the stability of the MJ Sorority program and our partnering insurance companies, your insurance coverage would be far more vulnerable. The saying, “you get what you pay for,” is especially true for the insurance program provided by MJ Sorority. Otherwise, you risk compromising your crucial protection.

Should you wish to discuss the property insurance industry concerns further, please do not hesitate to contact us.

In the News 
The property insurance crisis has been making headlines outside of your typical insurance industry publications. To learn more, we recommend the following: