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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Appalachian Outreach Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 020542826
WV · NTEE P20
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Heather Ray, Executive Director / CEO ($6,380) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 818 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 6th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Heather Ray — reported title “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

818 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 818 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$262 total compensation of comparable organizations → $191,652 $6,380
$10,69810th
$22,18525th
$39,584Median
$59,82675th
$82,15990th
$6,380This org · 6th
p10$10,698
p25$22,185
p50$39,584
p75$59,826
p90$82,159
$6,380

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 WV 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
Maine Multicultural Center ME$219,247 Executive Director $44,520 $41,173 2023
Second Baptist Community SC$219,300 Executive Di $20,400 $19,656 2023
Stable Hands Inc WI$219,395 Executive Director $14,487 $13,572 2024
Molly Bears VA$219,508 Production Mgr $27,500 $24,523 2023
House Of Myrrh OR$219,622 Founder/advisor $91,418 $76,158 2024
Circle Of Hope Community Center TX$219,688 Executive Director $45,000 $40,381 2024
Innovative Charities Of Northwest Florida Inc FL$218,713 President Director $12,000 $10,113 2024
Michael Rowan Ministries Inc TX$218,704 President $96,939 $86,990 2024
Stable Resources NC$219,890 Director $119,682 $110,936 2024
Exeter Community Education Foundation PA$219,893 Executive Director $31,000 $27,733 2024
Supporting Area Families Everyday PA$219,916 Executive Di $68,226 $61,035 2024
Un Learning Space Nfp IL$219,968 Executive Dir. $97,108 $88,173 2023
Hawaii Tax Help And Financial Empowerment Solutions HI$218,511 President/ceo And Director $71,219 $57,201 2024
Towers Of Excellence IL$220,085 Executive Program Director $41,000 $36,160 2024
Options United CA$218,363 President $107,561 $83,320 2024
Restored Hope Network CO$220,134 Executive Dir. $69,784 $60,028 2024
Daughters Of The Most High God TX$218,340 Chief Executive $65,000 $60,051 2023
Crisis Intervention Of Houston Incorporated TX$220,297 Executive Director $70,000 $64,671 2023
Bellbrook Sugarcreek Community Support Center OH$218,168 Executive Director $36,000 $33,324 2025
Lync 8 Project Corp KY$220,401 Treasurer $30,500 $30,264 2023
Wings Homeless Advocacy CA$217,974 Executive Di $45,000 $35,888 2023
Pampa CA$220,618 Director $80,047 $60,408 2025
Family Literacy Academy At FL$220,623 Executive Di $49,115 $40,324 2025
Drug-free Desoto Coalition Inc FL$217,742 Executive Di $65,626 $53,880 2025
Courageous Conversation CA$217,734 Executive Director $130,000 $98,107 2025

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to WV cost of living and 2023 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 WV 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 default6th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)6th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted11th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted6th

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 (Heather Ray) 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 818 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (P20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $6,380 is reasonable (approximately the 6th 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.