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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 201240771
NC · NTEE P60
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Karen King, Executive Director / CEO ($37,500) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 83 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 46th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

83 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 83 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$5,647 total compensation of comparable organizations → $123,253 $37,500
$16,87010th
$27,11925th
$42,744Median
$57,88175th
$80,84990th
$37,500This org · 46th
p10$16,870
p25$27,119
p50$42,744
p75$57,881
p90$80,849
$37,500

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 NC cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
New Jersey Voluntary OrganizationsNJ $240,842$82,044 990
Wright County Crisis CenterMO $239,794$32,114 990
Hidalgo Sin FronterasAZ $238,167$15,297 990
Circle City Relief IncIN $237,888$49,567 990
Partners In OutreachPA $244,646$16,855 990
Paulys ProjectCA $236,942$37,190 990
Good Neighbors IncKY $247,075$32,907 990
Love Inc Of Douglas Co Lakes AreaMN $234,241$60,399 990
Project HopeMT $248,418$16,400 990
First Step Back Home IncMO $232,222$43,052 990
Provisions Food Pantry And Thrift StoreNH $229,954$15,448 990
Gulf Coast Community Ministries IncMS $229,480$30,157 990
Good Neighbors Of Blount CountyTN $253,975$45,778 990
Sergeants Benevolent AssociationNY $256,006$11,532 990
Feeding The SpiritPA $256,499$23,163 990
The Helping Hand Of Greater Little Rock IncAR $257,350$44,379 990
Palatka Christian Service Center IncFL $224,972$20,801 990
Families And Individuals Sharing HopeMN $224,642$80,901 990
Love ChathamNC $258,776$42,068 990
Hope SangerCA $222,641$27,160 990
Angel Heart Pajama ProjectAZ $220,442$54,244 990
Saint Francis Center Of The City Of LongCA $262,475$27,077 990
Hebrew Free Loan Association Of Washington StateWA $265,618$32,150 990
Abrahams HouseWA $266,383$71,918 990
Rockdale Emergency Relief Fund IncGA $266,480$36,833 990

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 NC 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 default46th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)40th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted47th
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 (Karen King) 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 83 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (P60), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $37,500 is reasonable (approximately the 46th 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). 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.