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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Esther Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 201644135
WI · NTEE T70
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Katie Olson, Executive Director / CEO ($1,154) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 115 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 1st percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

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

How comparable organizations were selected

115 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 115 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$19 total compensation of comparable organizations → $154,562 $1,154
$13,81210th
$32,87325th
$49,319Median
$64,55775th
$82,15090th
$1,154This org · 1st
p10$13,812
p25$32,873
p50$49,319
p75$64,557
p90$82,150
$1,154

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
United Way Of Freeborn County Inc MN$297,884 Executive Director $52,000 $49,199 2024
Beartooth Billings Clinic Foundation MT$298,289 Cfo $44,110 $46,873 2023
Royal Charter Properties-westchester Inc NY$298,768 President $68,997 $61,462 2023
United Way Of Williams County OH$298,919 Former Exec $44,898 $44,360 2025
Quality Of Life Foundation Of Austin Inc TX$295,548 President $34,859 $34,375 2023
East Tn Supporting Foundation TN$299,263 President/ce $5,485 $5,521 2024
United Way Of White County Inc AR$299,403 Executive Director $45,000 $48,434 2024
Community Coalition PA$299,944 Executive Director $97,506 $95,856 2023
River Ridge Farm Trust OH$301,820 Trustee $36,125 $36,637 2024
C & Ws Rustic Hollow Shelter Inc IA$291,954 President $49,400 $51,792 2024
River Valley United Way Inc AR$291,044 Executive Director $37,182 $41,201 2023
United Way Of Jefferson County OH$290,431 Executive Director $44,500 $45,130 2024
Becker County United Way MN$288,508 Executive Director $53,500 $49,314 2025
Alleghany Memorial Hospital Foundation Inc NC$310,604 Executive Director $13,679 $13,534 2024
United Way Of Harvey And Marion Counties Inc KS$311,045 Executive Director $68,453 $70,811 2024
Community Shares Of Greater Cincinnati OH$311,349 Chief Executive Officer $79,454 $82,959 2023
United Way Of Nelson County KY$282,650 Executive Director $25,000 $26,477 2023
United Way Of Hood County Inc TX$312,480 Exec Dir $71,000 $68,005 2024
The American Amusement Machine IL$313,105 Executive Director $15,517 $14,230 2025
United Way Of South Central Illinois IL$278,145 Executive Dir. $61,005 $59,124 2023
Mecosta - Osceola United Way Inc MI$318,621 Executive Di $50,000 $49,416 2024
Children Of Deaf Adults CA$275,428 Vice-president $5,400 $4,597 2023
United Way Of Illinois Valley IL$319,703 Vice President $61,969 $56,831 2025
United Way Of Columbia County Inc AR$320,695 Executive Di $5,003 $5,385 2024
United Way Of 1000 Lakes MN$326,308 Executive Director $63,093 $61,458 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 2024 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 default1st
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)1st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted0th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted58th

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 (Katie Olson) 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 115 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (T70), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $1,154 is reasonable (approximately the 1st 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.