Royal Neighbors of America, a Rock Island-based fraternal benefit society, announced it delivered a record $20.5 million in social impact in 2021.
The more than a century-old membership organization offers life insurance and annuity products. With its mission of supporting women and serving communities, it considers its social impact to be the cornerstone of its work.
“Social impact is when we exercise our rights, responsibilities, obligations, and privileges across a variety of economic, social, and environmental domains,” Amy Jones, Royal Neighbors’ philanthropy director, said in a news release. “We go beyond the dollars, and leverage our membership, our tools and expertise, our innovation, and our history and legacy to benefit our communities and create a better world for all of us.”
Royal Neighbors, founded in 1895, evaluates its social impact by measuring four areas: annual philanthropic investment; annual volunteer value (based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics value); the monetary value of the long-term impacts of volunteerism; and total savings provided through its Member Savings program.
“We know that supported women build strong communities,” interim President and CEO Curt Zeck said in the release. “It is part of our core strategy to support and engage our membership 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.”
Visit theroyalneighbor.org to see stories about Royal Neighbors members who exemplify their “neighbor-helping-neighbor” philosophy.
“We don’t just care about the impact we make today; we care about the impact we will make for many years to come,” Ms. Jones added. “We are always evaluating how we can engage our members and leverage our resources to make meaningful, measurable, and lasting impact.”
In 2020, Royal Neighbors was upgraded to “A Excellent” (third highest out of 13) by the AM Best Co. for overall financial strength and its ability to meet ongoing obligations to certificate holders. The rating was affirmed Nov. 30, 2021.
Founded in 1895, the membership organization was launched by nine pioneering women who recognized the need to insure women and children. Its mission is to protect women financially and empower them to improve their lives, families, and communities.
