Royal Neighbors celebrates its quarter-million-member milestone

Dozens of employees gathered with leaders of Royal Neighbors of America (RNA) at its beautiful downtown Rock Island headquarters on Thursday, Sept. 22, to celebrate the fraternal insurance society reaching 250,000 members nationwide. To commemorate the quarter-million-member milestone, four of Royal Neighbors modern-day leaders reenacted an old cake-cutting photograph that featured some of the women […]

Dozens of employees gathered with leaders of Royal Neighbors of America (RNA) at its beautiful downtown Rock Island headquarters on Thursday, Sept. 22, to celebrate the fraternal insurance society reaching 250,000 members nationwide. To commemorate the quarter-million-member milestone, four of Royal Neighbors modern-day leaders reenacted an old cake-cutting photograph that featured some of the women of the past who had led the fraternal benefit society that was created by nine women in 1895. They recognized the need to insure the lives of women and children. Employees also were invited to sign a banner trumpeting the company’s rapid rebound to the 250,000-member mark. “Thank you for celebrating this milestone. It’s a big deal,” Interim President and CEO Curt Zeck said Thursday. “Members are obviously the core of what we do,” he added. “We constantly keep them in mind. They’re out there working on behalf of Royal Neighbors and every employee that works here.”

The milestone also is significant because it shows that the company, whose mission is to support women and serve communities, is rebounding from a sharp decades-long decline in life insurance ownership nationwide. On Thursday, Mr. Zeck said that at one time Royal Neighbors boasted 600,000 members. That would eventually drop over time to 190,000. But thanks to its agents and employees the total has risen rapidly over the past seven or eight years, and the company marked it with Thursday’s lunchroom party.  Mr. Zeck said he is optimistic that those numbers will continue to rise. “How many plan to be here at 300,000 (members)?” he asked cheering employees, many of whom work from home through the Royal Neighbors Flexible Work Model. They were in the office on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 23, for one of RNA’s quarterly two-day get-togethers it calls “All Society Days.”  During those days, employees connect and engage in team building.

Royal Neighbors of America offers life insurance and annuity products to its members and is driven by its mission of supporting women and serving communities. The organization’s employees, members, and chapters across the country drive the mission through localized volunteerism and philanthropy programs making social impact the cornerstone of their work, the society said. Mr. Zeck also thanked its members for the company’s success. “From insuring lives with our life insurance and annuities products to supporting women and serving communities with our community chapters, we stand together – all 250,000 of us – to inspire impact as a grassroots local community, and a nation of neighbors,” he said in a statement. “You are the reason Royal Neighbors is Insurance with a Difference and we thank you.” Also to mark the milestone, employees were asked what being a Royal Neighbor meant to them. Among them was Holly Clark, commissions specialist, who said: “I am proud to be a Royal Neighbors employee because I am able to be the mom I always wanted to be, but still have a career that gives me definition, recognition, and life balance.”  Director of Philanthropy Amy Jones added: “By growing and leveraging our membership, we are broadening our reach and creating a ripple effect in the communities where our members live and raise their families. We are working to make our members’ impact meaningful, measurable, and long-lasting for both today and tomorrow.” RNA Human Resources Executive Angie Johnson said: “When our membership grows, our communities become stronger, and that is the cornerstone of our mission. Our core strategy is to support and engage our employees and members through philanthropic investment and a commitment to volunteerism. This mutually reinforces a loop in a virtuous circle that creates a world that we all want to live in.” In 2020, Royal Neighbors was upgraded to “A Excellent” (3rd highest rating out of 13) by the AM Best Company for overall financial strength and ability to meet ongoing obligations to certificate holders. Royal Neighbors is a five-time Great Place to Work-Certified organization. For more information, visit royalneighbors.org.