Meet Nina Rauch, Social Impact Leader at Lemonade Insurance

 Tell us about Lemonade 

Lemonade is different. In an industry where consumers can often feel taken advantage of, our mission is to be the most loved insurance on the planet. We’re reaching that goal through our Giveback program, which lies at the core of our business model. Giveback is a distinctive feature and a cornerstone of the business model, whereby each year the Lemonade community aims to donate leftover money to causes customers care about. After a customer gets a Lemonade renters, homeowners, or pet insurance policy, they’re asked to select, from a pre-vetted list, a charitable cause to support with the leftover premiums.

The Giveback program, and our underlying ethos, has helped build an honest relationship with our consumers. They trust us, and they also become part of a community; our policyholders are helping others while covering their own valuables, insuring their home, or making sure their pet can afford vital medical care. Our unique mix of value, values, and technology has allowed us to scale our consumer base at a tremendous rate.

Lemonade ended 2020 with more than one million active customers, a mere 1,500 days after the company launched. That milestone was about 15 to 45 years faster than it took industry leaders like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO, and USAA to do the same. Plus, Lemonade’s commitment to our core values helped the company grow throughout a challenging year, leading to one of the strongest IPOs of 2020.

What has your journey been like leading social impact at Lemonade?

When I was 13, my mother passed away from breast cancer. Despite being the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, I saw first-hand how young people were not being educated on the disease. This motivated me to make a change. At 16, I founded the social enterprise Pink Week and took it to Cambridge University, where I raised £500,000 for breast cancer charities, and expanded it across the UK. It continues to raise thousands of pounds each year. I also spread awareness through my writing in publications such as The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph.

At 25, I joined insurtech Lemonade as its first Global Head of Social Impact with the vision to turn a for-profit company into a purpose-driven brand. I lead the Giveback program, where we donate money to causes chosen by our customers, B Corp, and the company’s sustainability efforts, including creating Lemonade’s ESG strategy. As we grew our market beyond the U.S., I led the expansion of our impact for all European markets: the U.K., Germany, France, and the Netherlands. 

In July 2020, Lemonade became the second-ever public benefit corporation and B-Corp to go public, marking a milestone for my career and the Social Impact sector as a whole. I lead the strategy for donating funds to ensure maximum impact, establishing partnerships with 100+ nonprofits in Europe and the U.S. 

To date, I have distributed over $8M, including: $2M to LGBTQ+ communities, $2.2M to climate nonprofits, $2.3M to global poverty, 615,206 meals for those in need throughout

Europe and the UK, 43 clean water projects in Malawi and Ethiopia, 692,920 people given therapy, including 67,497 veterans, and education for 763,411 underserved students. I am grateful to have ensured that thousands of breast cancer patients receive treatment. I believe that a dedicated focus on social impact aligns with sound business principles, and I advocate for this in opinion pieces for Forbes and Fast Company. 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years? 

As Lemonade grows, so does our impact. Giveback began with only 7 nonprofit partners, today we stand at over 2 million customers across 5 countries and maintain partnerships with over 100 nonprofit organizations. While this growth broadens our reach, it also presents a challenge. The Lemonade Giveback was founded on the intimate connection between Lemonade, the customer, and their chosen Giveback cause.

This personal quality of Giveback is naturally threatened by the tremendous scale of our impact initiatives. My primary concern is how to ensure each customer feels a direct influence on the nonprofit they chose during sign-up, despite our growth. 

To address this, I have been inviting policyholders to visit their chosen nonprofits alongside Lemonade, providing them with a real-time experience of their impact, and creating content that makes our customers feel more connected with the nonprofits they impact. Additionally, I am focusing on transparent communication through direct email outreach and social campaigns. Despite the growth, these efforts aim to ensure customers remain engaged and connected with Lemonade’s commitment to impact. 

What can we hope to see from Lemonade in the future? 

An increased focus on Sustainability. to be both a B Corp and a Public Benefit Corporation, which means we’re legally bound to prioritize the greater good in everything we do, including Sustainability. That’s why, since our founding in 2016, we’ve been taking concrete action to tackle climate change. Our strategy focuses on three core pillars: offering sustainable products, supporting climate-focused initiatives through donations, and committing to sustainability via our operations. Central to our efforts is the reduction of CO2 emissions across the company – Lemonade is also the first US insurer to publicly commit to divest from coal and other fossil fuels. We published a statement, committing to our policyholders, employees, stakeholders, and even our competitors that we will continue to be invested in a cleaner future (you can read more here: https://www.lemonade.com/blog/divest_coal/). 

We’re also working on boosting our recycling efforts, exploring energy-saving office features, keeping a close eye on our travel practices, and partnerships with 17 climate-focused nonprofits. At Lemonade, we firmly believe that doing what’s right isn’t just good for the planet – it’s good for everyone.