Social Security Works
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 461373125
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2015–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2023673906
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Government and Public Administration
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $622,408
- Expenses
- $534,137
- Assets
- $257,017
- Liabilities
- $51,742
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
7 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ALEXANDER LAWSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
People named in this filing
- ALEXANDER LAWSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- MICHAEL PHELAN (DEPUTY DIRECTOR)
- ERIC KINGSON (CHAIR)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The mission of social security works is to: 1)protect and improve the economic security of disadvantaged; 2) safeguard the economic security of those dependent, now or in the future, on social security; and 3)maintain social security as a vehicle of social justice.
What it reported doing in 2024
Coalition: social security works convenes the strengthen social security coalition, a diverse coalition of over 350 state-based and national groups representing organized labor, people of color, people with disabilities, women, the lgbt community, veterans and the netroots.policy: social security works is an expert at creating translational policy resources explaining complex policy issues in accessible everyday language. Ssw created numerous fact sheets and resources that were crucial in the politically charged and fast-moving environments of various budget and fiscal debates in Washington, dc. Ssw was a leading voice in promoting policies to protect and improve the economic security of disadvantaged and at-risk populations.public education: social security works educated the public through the media, online distribution lists, and our website to disseminate plain language fact sheets and information concerning proposals that would impact our social security system
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 90% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 65
- Sustainability: 52
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77.2%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 90%; rating input score 90
- Fundraising efficiency: $58.26 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 60%; rating input score 60; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 14.2%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.48; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -7.7% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -8.6% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -8.6% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 77.2% of revenue deployed · 90% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $481K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules
- Filing history: 9 filing years from 2015 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Document-retention policy not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.