interesting; they all came about around the late 1800's
Catholic Financial Life - 1868
Knights of Columbus - 1882
Catholic Order of Foresters - 1883
Catholic Life Insurance - 1901
This isn't just some weird coincidence. During this time period the United States saw a large influx of immigrants to the country. Many of them were Irish or German and a great many of them were Catholic. This double "curse" of being Irish or German AND Catholic meant that many were excluded from access to community aid in times of need:
"Because of religious and ethnic discrimination, Roman Catholics in the late 19th century were regularly excluded from labor unions, popular fraternal organizations, and other organized groups that provided such social services." (1)
This meant that these immigrants were forced to take the lowest paying, most difficult, and most dangerous jobs available to provide for their families. The result was that many families lost the sole breadwinner, leaving the family broken and/or destitute. Often, many a widow wound up at the Church's doorstep pleading with the local priest and community for assistance.
In response, these ethnic and religious communities, began "crowdfunding" to help the afflicted family. Over time this method became more organized and refined. Rather than collecting money each time a family found itself in need, organizations began to form that would collect weekly contributions "premiums" to insure that their family was protected if anything should happen. These contributions were carefully invested to provide more assistance and cover basic costs of the organization.
Today these companies are ranked along with highest rated life insurance companies in the country. In addition, rather than spending money on naming stadiums or buildings, rather than paying for funny mascots or catchy jingles, they put their earnings back into the community through social services, education and service opportunities, orphan benefits, scholarships, low-interest church loans, and more.
Placing your premiums with a Catholic Fraternal organization (Life Insurance Company) gives you peace of mind knowing your family is protected, your premiums are invested morally, and the growth they gain is used to further the Faith and serve those most in need.
While emergency crowdfunding has its place, it's hard to beat the financial security that comes with knowing your family is fully protected no matter what and not simply dependent on the kindness of strangers.
(1) Kauffman, Christopher J. (1982). Faith and Fraternalism: The History of the Knights of Columbus, 1882–1982. Harper and Row. ISBN 978-0-06-014940-6.
Full Disclosure: I am a Life Insurance Agent for The Catholic Order of Foresters, Catholic Financial Life, Stewardship Financial Group, and a Development Officer with The Catholic Foundation.
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