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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Carrie A Seaman Animal Shelter Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 043279087
MA · NTEE D200
FY ending 2025-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of David Butler, Executive Director / CEO ($16,250) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 409 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 16th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

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

How comparable organizations were selected

409 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 409 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,420 total compensation of comparable organizations → $179,784 $16,250
$11,72910th
$26,41125th
$48,441Median
$68,42675th
$87,44590th
$16,250This org · 16th
p10$11,729
p25$26,411
p50$48,441
p75$68,426
p90$87,445
$16,250

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 MA 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
Cracker Box Palace Inc NY$375,977 Farm Director $23,078 $23,821 2024
A Friend Of Jack Rescue CO$375,848 Executive Director $57,333 $62,797 2024
Chasing Daylight Animal Shelter Inc WI$375,277 Director $38,923 $46,433 2024
Paws And Claws Rescue Inc IL$375,174 Cat Care Manager $45,000 $52,027 2023
H U G S For Horses And Children MI$378,217 President $69,172 $81,554 2024
Tiny Hooves Rescue Inc WI$378,500 President Until 09/12/24 $12,254 $14,618 2024
Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary MO$373,701 Executive Dir. $19,188 $23,215 2024
Free Animal Doctor Inc CA$379,157 President $24,000 $24,372 2023
Planned Pet-hood TN$379,869 Executive Director $33,786 $40,566 2024
Project Animalaid CO$379,908 Executive Director $25,385 $28,625 2023
Remarkable Resques Inc FL$372,550 Vice President $39,000 $41,850 2024
Foreverland Farm OH$380,726 Interim Board President $25,000 $30,245 2024
Omega Horse Rescue And Rehabilitation PA$371,753 Executive Director $35,100 $38,952 2025
Caring For Cats Inc MN$381,234 Executive Director $28,500 $32,168 2024
Rescue Riders Pet Transport TN$382,226 President $2,625 $3,151 2024
Dreamcatcher Ranch Horse Rescue Inc FL$382,581 President $13,789 $14,797 2024
Bobshouse 4dogs Inc WI$382,618 Executive Dir. $46,654 $57,300 2023
Delta Animal Shelter MI$369,806 Trustee/part $42,570 $51,673 2023
Lucky 13 Rescue Inc MO$383,450 Executive Dir $60,000 $72,591 2024
Foxy And The Hounds CA$384,779 President $102,500 $101,101 2024
Animal Rescue And Foster Program Inc NC$367,729 Executive Director $56,000 $68,048 2023
Sugarland Ranch Inc NV$366,813 President $21,375 $24,474 2024
Humane Society Of Noble County Inc IN$386,131 Shelter Director $46,918 $56,516 2024
Social Tees Animal Rescue Foundation In NY$366,592 Executive Director $111,240 $114,820 2024
Miami Animal Rescue Inc FL$386,286 President $12,000 $13,257 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MA cost of living and 2025 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 MA 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 default16th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)17th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted17th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted15th

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 (David Butler) 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 409 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $16,250 is reasonable (approximately the 16th 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.