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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Pioneer Valley Symphony Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 046111759
MA · NTEE A69Z
FY ending 2023-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Janna Walters-gidseg, Executive Director / CEO ($38,750) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 76 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 42nd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Janna Walters-gidseg — reported title “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

76 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 76 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$633 total compensation of comparable organizations → $108,572 $38,750
$9,03110th
$26,18725th
$44,382Median
$60,06675th
$76,99690th
$38,750This org · 42nd
p10$9,031
p25$26,187
p50$44,382
p75$60,066
p90$76,996
$38,750

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
Minot Symphony Association Inc ND$271,643 Executive Director $55,200 $65,477 2024
Lyra MN$267,342 Players Representative $2,000 $2,137 2024
Anderson Symphony Orchestra Assoc IN$283,201 Executive Director $54,124 $63,516 2023
Catskill Symphony Orchestra NY$266,367 Executive Dir. $35,000 $34,186 2024
Community Youth Orchestra Of Bucks Count PA$284,815 Executive Dir. $50,500 $56,042 2023
Jacksonville Symphony Society IL$263,856 Executive Director $6,070 $6,450 2024
Baltimore Chamber Orchestra Inc MD$286,726 Executive Dir. $42,481 $44,197 2023
Ashland Symphony Orchestra OH$262,008 Executive Di $44,582 $51,039 2024
Bluewater Chamber Orchestra OH$288,511 Artistic Director $29,000 $33,200 2024
North Charleston Pops SC$260,852 Executive Dir. $16,667 $19,349 2023
Kennett Symphony Of Chester County PA$254,669 Music Direct $29,154 $32,353 2023
Lake Washington Symphony Orche WA$253,894 President $5,000 $4,839 2024
Corvallis Youth Symphony Assoc OR$299,505 Executive Director $57,440 $59,360 2023
Bemidji Symphony Orchestra MN$249,976 Executive Di $43,728 $45,500 2025
Vivo Youth Orchestras CA$300,586 President/executive Director $88,200 $84,753 2023
Oregon East Symphony OR$248,785 President $900 $903 2024
Pueblo Symphony Association Inc CO$303,796 Orch. Rep. $7,398 $7,894 2023
Douglas County Youth Orchestra Inc CO$246,704 Director $44,136 $44,566 2025
Black Hills Symphony Orchestra Society SD$246,108 Executive Director $33,099 $38,467 2025
Arapahoe Philharmonic Inc CO$245,061 Executive Di $73,163 $78,069 2023
Chamber Music Oc CA$243,060 Executive Dir. $10,580 $10,167 2023
Southeastern Minnesota Youth MN$310,682 Executive Di $44,637 $46,446 2025
Macon Pops Inc GA$239,728 Ceo $48,500 $54,268 2023
Metropolitan Youth Symphony Inc MI$236,483 Executive Director $37,451 $40,706 2025
Symphony Of The Redwoods CA$234,665 Executive Director $16,402 $15,761 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 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 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 default42nd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)45th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted42nd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted42nd

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 (Janna Walters-gidseg) 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 76 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A69), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $38,750 is reasonable (approximately the 42nd 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.