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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Wausau School Foundation Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 200287482
WI · NTEE B82
FY ending 2023-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Debi Traeder, Executive Director / CEO ($18,750) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 207 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 19th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Debi Traeder — reported title “EXECUTIVE DI”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

207 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 207 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1 total compensation of comparable organizations → $319,596 $18,750
$10,16510th
$23,85225th
$53,808Median
$88,37675th
$119,80490th
$18,750This org · 19th
p10$10,165
p25$23,852
p50$53,808
p75$88,376
p90$119,804
$18,750

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 WI 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
Wex Foundation TX$455,757 Executive Directorsecretary $24,000 $22,328 2024
The Heal Los Angeles Foundation CA$456,566 President & Director $110,000 $88,341 2024
518 Elevated Inc NY$454,437 Executive Di $64,858 $54,508 2024
Atlas Fellows Inc IL$452,000 Secretary $127,093 $119,640 2023
Michigan Association Of Broadcasters MI$460,934 President/ceo (Ended 4/24) $10,779 $10,348 2024
Ndoto TX$461,884 Executive Director $69,290 $64,463 2024
Community Catholic Center Inc KY$449,351 Executive Director $53,560 $53,518 2024
Scholarship Fund For Rainier Scholars WA$462,794 Director Of Finance And Operations $132,403 $110,249 2024
Envision Greater Fond Du Lac WI$446,728 President/ceo $6,319 $6,138 2024
Cement And Concrete Workers Scholarship NY$446,459 Interim Fund Admin-thru 7/2024 $50,894 $42,772 2024
Nevada Broadcasters Foundation NV$465,663 Executive Di $22,815 $21,269 2024
Growth Through Learning Inc MA$445,932 Executive Director $91,210 $74,265 2025
Brian Laviolette Scholarship Fund WI$443,316 Executive Director $43,000 $41,766 2024
Privateschoolscholarships Org AZ$442,109 Executive Director $29,192 $25,438 2025
Explore Mars Inc MA$441,446 Ceo $120,250 $100,500 2024
Gccs Educational Foundation IN$470,769 Executive Director $83,612 $79,892 2025
Secu Md Foundation Inc MD$471,662 Executive Director $98,996 $86,078 2024
Appalachian Leadership And WV$439,740 Chairman $9,540 $9,891 2023
Usa Patriots Veteran Athletics FL$473,066 Executive Director $125,000 $109,214 2024
Cowboy Artists Of America Joe Beeler Foundation TX$438,461 President $250 $239 2023
Worcester Educational Development Founda MA$438,392 Executive Director And Vp $18,575 $15,983 2023
Educational Foundation Of The Southeast Texas TX$474,724 Executive Director $137,774 $131,963 2023
I Have A Dream Foundation - Milwaukee WI$436,455 Executive Director $30,692 $30,692 2023
The Adirondack Scholar Found Inc NY$475,721 Executive Di $19,375 $16,283 2024
Warren Alvarado Oslo Public School Education Foundation MN$475,891 Chairman $1,200 $1,135 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to WI 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 WI 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 default19th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)16th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted36th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted12th

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 (Debi Traeder) 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 207 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B82), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $18,750 is reasonable (approximately the 19th 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.