Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Melissa Sorensen, Executive Director / CEO ($37,421) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 328 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 32nd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range
Benchmarked executive: Melissa Sorensen — reported title “DIR. OF MARKETING & COMMUN”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.
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 MO cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.
| Organization | State | Revenue | Matched title | Comp (reported) | Comp (adjusted) | FY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lung Transplant Foundation | NC | $268,002 | Executive Director | $123,869 | $120,841 | 2024 |
| Biomedical Research Institute Of | NJ | $267,661 | Key Employee | $50,035 | $42,178 | 2024 |
| Theos Village The Tbck Foundation | PA | $268,612 | President Secretary | $15,000 | $14,540 | 2023 |
| Empowering Epilepsy | OH | $268,660 | Executive Dir. | $72,685 | $72,685 | 2024 |
| Illinois Spina Bifida Association | IL | $268,679 | Executive Director | $88,556 | $84,627 | 2023 |
| Epilepsy Foundation Of Wisconsin Inc | WI | $267,012 | Executive Dir. | $68,238 | $67,285 | 2024 |
| Gaucher Community Alliance | PA | $268,783 | Co-president | $56,125 | $54,405 | 2023 |
| Act For Multiple Sclerosis | CA | $266,890 | Executive Di | $62,400 | $50,873 | 2024 |
| Heartbeat International Foundation Inc | FL | $266,644 | Executive Director | $100,000 | $88,696 | 2024 |
| The Autism Society Of Hawaii | HI | $266,429 | Executive Director | $62,251 | $54,176 | 2023 |
| Hope For Children Research Found | NJ | $266,013 | Director | $92,503 | $77,978 | 2024 |
| All In For Miller Inc | GA | $265,432 | Treasurer | $36,000 | $34,176 | 2024 |
| Tatton Brown Rahman Syndrome Community Inc | NY | $270,669 | Executive Director | $78,930 | $67,340 | 2024 |
| North Carolina Aids Action Network | NC | $264,894 | Executive Dir. | $120,750 | $117,799 | 2024 |
| The Tanner Foundation For Neurological | AL | $264,855 | Executive Director | $62,308 | $63,554 | 2024 |
| Lymphangiomatosis & Gorhams Disease Alliance Inc | FL | $271,042 | Executive Director | $35,930 | $31,868 | 2024 |
| Joe Beretta Foundation | TN | $271,831 | Executive Director | $62,391 | $61,919 | 2024 |
| 5 Under 40 Foundation Corp | NY | $271,985 | President | $46,154 | $40,540 | 2023 |
| Down Syndrome Network Inc | AZ | $263,264 | Executive Director | $77,200 | $72,169 | 2023 |
| Down Syndrome Association Of | VA | $273,601 | Executive Director | $48,359 | $44,085 | 2024 |
| Mesquite Cancer Help Society | NV | $262,030 | Executive Administrator | $12,075 | $11,428 | 2024 |
| The Color Of Autism Foundation | MI | $262,020 | Chief Executive Officer | $85,300 | $85,583 | 2023 |
| Sister2sister | NJ | $261,907 | President | $28,810 | $25,003 | 2023 |
| Hope Lives The Lydia Dody Breast | CO | $261,871 | Executive Di | $71,880 | $65,075 | 2024 |
| Xlh Network Inc | NY | $261,780 | Executive Director | $64,080 | $54,670 | 2024 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MO cost of living and 2024 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.
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 MO 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.
Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:
| Basis | Subject percentile |
|---|---|
| Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default | 32nd |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 31st |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 35th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 28th |
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.
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
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.