Title: AARP - InfluenceWatch
Headings: AARP
AARP
Contents
History
Founding
Early Growth
Disputes over Non-Profit Status
Expansion of Membership Base
Leadership
Activities and Reach
Business Interests
Lobbying
Media Production
Advocacy Positions
Support for Obamacare
Social Security
Other
References
Directors, Employees & Supporters
Associated Organizations
Coalition Memberships
Donor Organizations
Donation Recipients
Vendors
Nonprofit Information
Available Filings
Additional Filings (PDFs)

Content: [7]
AARP, the nonprofit entity, is the parent organization of two for-profit wholly owned subsidiaries, AARP Services, Inc. and AARP Financial,
[8]
which generate revenue from insurance products, marketing deals, and other products and services offered to members. [9]
In 2017, AARP reported total assets of $4.2 billion and operating revenue of $1.6 billion. [10]
Contents
History
Founding
Early Growth
Disputes over Non-Profit Status
Expansion of Membership Base
Leadership
Activities and Reach
Business Interests
Lobbying
Media Production
Advocacy Positions
Support for Obamacare
Social Security
Other
References
Related Profiles
Directors, Employees & Supporters
Associated Organizations
Coalition Memberships
Donor Organizations
Donation Recipients
Vendors
Form 990 Information
History
Founding
AARP was founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired educator from California. It evolved from the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA), which Andrus had established in 1947 in part to promote health insurance for retired teachers. [11]
Instrumental in AARP’s evolution from the NRTA was Leonard Davis, the founder of the Colonial Penn Group of insurance companies. [12] [13]
“60 Minutes” reported in 1978 that Davis devised AARP as a marketing device for his insurance business after he met Ethel Percy Andrus in the late 1950s. Davis then ran AARP until the 1980s, promoting its image as a non-profit advocate of retirees in order to sell insurance to members. [14]
Early Growth
The association’s explosive growth came under Cyril F. Brickfield, who took over in 1967 when the group claimed one million members. Under Brickfield, AARP lowered its eligibility age in 1984 to 50 from 55, causing membership to grow rapidly. By the time Brickfield stepped down in 1987, membership was claimed at 28 million.