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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Sullivan County Humane Society

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 020428353
NH · NTEE D20
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Sherry Bell, Executive Director / CEO ($4,628) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 412 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 4th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Sherry Bell — reported title “Vice President”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

412 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 412 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,505 total compensation of comparable organizations → $170,455 $4,628
$10,65610th
$22,51425th
$42,284Median
$62,82375th
$81,73690th
$4,628This org · 4th
p10$10,656
p25$22,514
p50$42,284
p75$62,823
p90$81,736
$4,628

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to NH cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateRevenueMatched titleComp
(reported)
Comp
(adjusted)
FY
Humane Society Of Southern Illinoisspca Inc IL$314,265 Shelter Manager $23,970 $25,521 2024
Here Today Adopted Tomorrow Animal MA$313,379 Director $2,725 $2,652 2024
A Forever-home Rescue Foundation Inc VA$312,657 President $60,000 $64,594 2023
Happy Tails Rescue Foundation MN$312,524 Director $51,750 $55,379 2024
Releash Atlanta Inc GA$311,821 Operations Manager $13,526 $14,729 2024
Indigo Rescue Inc OR$316,578 Executive Dir. $69,018 $69,414 2024
Russell Rescue Inc TN$310,926 President $22,998 $26,180 2024
The Long Way Home Inc TX$316,953 Executive Director $61,500 $68,593 2023
A New Chance Animal Rescue Inc NY$318,086 President $65,000 $63,611 2024
Thurston County Humane Society WA$318,563 Executive Director $68,863 $66,770 2024
Fur-angel Foundation HI$318,660 President $27,000 $26,953 2023
Canines With A Cause UT$309,181 Executive Di $84,984 $96,980 2023
Aruba Flight Volunteers Inc NY$319,071 President $49,980 $50,356 2023
Silicon Valley Pet Project CA$308,572 Ceo $45,198 $42,268 2024
Dharma Voices For Animals CA$308,479 President $67,550 $63,171 2024
The Nancy A Shaw Foundation Inc GA$319,572 Executive Di $35,000 $39,239 2023
Kamins Farm Sanctuary IL$319,817 Executive Di $58,000 $61,753 2024
My Pit Bull Is Family MN$319,945 Executive Director $53,830 $59,306 2023
Breeder Release Adoption Service CO$320,681 Director $14,400 $15,395 2023
Cats Meow WA$307,110 Executive Director $66,184 $66,068 2023
United Friends Of Homeless Animals Inc NY$306,784 Manager $12,707 $12,802 2023
Mccook Humane Society Inc NE$306,770 Consultant $19,400 $23,265 2023
Friends Of Normie Rescue CA$321,126 Managing Dir. $2,885 $2,698 2024
Wwwpilotsnpawsorg Inc SC$321,196 Executive Director $146,540 $170,455 2023
Pet Assistance League Store CO$322,134 Executive Dir. $34,570 $35,900 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to NH cost of living and 2024 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to NH cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default4th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)5th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted6th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted4th

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Sherry Bell) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 412 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $4,628 is reasonable (approximately the 4th percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.