My mother-in-law is all the rage with charitable groups, particularly the ones that are opaque at best and deceptive at worst in their snail mail. As public concerns mount about dwindling Social Security reserves, these mailers may be arriving in senior Virginians’ mailboxes more frequently. 

Grandma, who’s 92 and lives with me, recently received three cash solicitations in a week regarding the solvency of Social Security. We’d never heard of the senders before and surmised their names could confuse people about their bona fides. 

They all begged for money and signatures, as one letter called it, to help bolster “the payment of Social Security benefits well into the future.” That letter assigned my mother-in-law a registration number — how official! — as part of advocating for a Social Security guarantee. No sender, for example, was nearly as recognizable as AARP, the nonprofit that’s been around since 1958 and says it fights for the priorities of everyone age 50 and over. 

Among the warnings from the National Campaign to Guarantee Social Security, a project of the Federation of Responsible Citizens: “There is no greater economic crisis facing our nation than the impending crash of Social Security.” 

There are some nuggets of truth about the claims regarding Social Security, but they lack vital context. Nor is there proof that these solicitors can deliver. 

Similar letters arrived from the American Federation of Senior Citizens, another project of the FRC (why do you need two Social Security projects from the same umbrella group?), and the Senior Citizen Association of America, part of the National Senior Citizen Committee. 

The latter sought a signature for an enclosed Social Security amendment petition — and a contribution. 

Red flags immediately went up for my wife and me. They should for you, too, especially if you have an aging parent musing about forking over cash to such sketchy outfits. 

“Unsolicited mail asking for money, especially with urgent or emotional appeals, should be treated with caution,” a Social Security Administration spokesperson told me by email Thursday. SSA “encourages the public to not send money or personal information until they have verified the organization’s legitimacy,” the spokesperson said. 

Such solicitations might be from 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups that indeed exist, but might have marginal clout. They are lobbying groups in which donors can’t deduct money for federal income tax purposes. Both FRC and NSCC fall into that category. 

Are benefactors merely enriching the employees and board members of these organizations? 

I’m betting the letters arrived so closely together because the program’s viability was the subject of news articles this summer. The trust funds for Social Security and Medicare will run out of money in less than a decade, according to a report, and the programs’ trustees warned the depletion date is closer than predicted a year ago, The Washington Post noted. 

If Congress doesn’t overhaul the programs’ financing, automatic cuts will slash Social Security benefits by 23% and Medicare hospital benefits by 11% in 2033. 

But there’s a huge caveat, The Post said in its June 18 primer: Decreasing benefits “would be so unpopular that Congress would face great pressure to act.” That’s correct. 

“Lawmakers would probably need to consider a mix of benefit cuts plus new revenue — such as higher taxes to fund Social Security, perhaps taxing wages above the current threshold of $176,100,” the article continued. 

Because retirees are such a dependable, consistent voting bloc, craven congressional members who have delayed tackling the problem for ages would feel the weight of self-preservation — and finally do something. 

Spokespersons for both of Virginia’s senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, told me they hadn’t received complaints from constituents about the solicitors I’d mentioned. 

I phoned and emailed officials at FRC and NSCC. I asked about their purported value, what percentage of their donations goes to actual lobbying, and more. My messages weren’t returned. 

That left me to seek financial documents online, the groups’ websites, and message boards that mentioned the organizations — usually negatively by family members of letter recipients. 

Charity Navigator, which rates nearly a quarter-million nonprofits, says FRC got its IRS ruling as a 501(c)(4) in 1990. But the ratings organization doesn’t cover such lobbying groups in detail. FRC is based in Alexandria, Virginia. 

The ratings group said NSCC gained its IRS ruling in 2010. It’s also a 501(c)(4). It’s based in Reston, Virginia. 

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which monitors charitable groups seeking donations in the commonwealth, said FRC and NSCC register with it annually. It had no records of complaints related to the organization names I’d provided. 

ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom, said FRC had $12.4 million in revenues and slightly less in expenses on Form 990 for 2023. The only executive compensation was $60,000 for Denise Singleton, listed as president/ director. Professional fundraising fees were $530,600, or 4.3% of total expenses. 

You don’t find much about FRC on its website. Click on “accomplishments,” and it touts activities it completed in 2018. 

ProPublica reports NSCC had $2.5 million in revenues and nearly $2.7 million in expenses for 2023. It listed no money for employee compensation. It showed $400,000 in professional fundraising fees, or 15% of total expenses. David M. Coyne, listed as a director, signed the letter to my mother-in-law. 

I interviewed Social Security Works’ Linda Benesch, who said she follows relevant stories in the news and can’t recall the groups I was writing about ever being quoted or mentioned. 

I asked Benesch why even donate to such nonprofits, since our individual House and Senate members should be fighting for us — without having to pay them extra. 

“I think there’s a place for both calling your members of Congress directly and supporting advocacy organizations that have capacity to build direct relationships with members of Congress,” Benesch said. “However, people should always do their research before donating.” 

On the latter, we agree. 

Our U.S. representatives and senators are there for a reason. If you’d like to also donate to nonprofits fighting for Social Security, make sure they’re legit and effective. 

The writer is a columnist at VirginiaMercury.com, where this commentary originally appeared.