Students for Saving Social Security, known as S4, was a
501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
activist
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
organization based in Washington, D.C., run by students for students pushing for
Social Security
Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
reform. S4 was founded in March 2005 and proposed changing Social Security laws to permit personal savings accounts. The organization had a network of 300+ college chapters with more than 11,000 members by 2008. It closed in 2009.
S4 believed Social Security was an issue that should be addressed by the Congress. Co-founders Jonathan Swanson and Patrick Wetherille proclaimed:
Operations
Executive Director Jo Jensen, Strategic Communications Director Neha Shah and Development Director Karen Lee were both graduates of
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...
. National Director Ryan Lynch attended
Emory University
Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
and studied at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
's graduate school.
Three directors of S4,
Marco Zappacosta
Marco Zappacosta (born 1985) is an American businessman. He co-founded Thumbtack and serves as the company's CEO.
Biography
Zappacosta was born in Stanford, California in 1985 and grew up in Atherton, California. His father is Pierluigi Zappaco ...
, Jonathan Swanson, Jeremy Tunnell went on to found the online marketplace and unicorn company
Thumbtack
A drawing pin (in British English) or thumb tack (in North American English), also called a push-pin, is a short, small pin or nail with a flat, broad head that can be pressed into place with pressure from the thumb, often used for hanging ...
.
External links
www.SecureOurFuture.org* S4 featured in the Wall Street Journal (January 2008
References
Student societies in the United States
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