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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Working Animals Giving Service For Kids Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 205520973
OH · NTEE D61
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Sera Nelson, Executive Director / CEO ($69,423) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 631 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 84th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

631 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 631 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$119 total compensation of comparable organizations → $319,435 $69,423
$9,78410th
$23,33525th
$42,928Median
$59,29375th
$77,60490th
$69,423This org · 84th
p10$9,784
p25$23,335
p50$42,928
p75$59,293
p90$77,604
$69,423

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 OH 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
Rangeland Wild CA$430,576 President $32,233 $25,525 2024
Arizona Law Enforcement Canine Assoc AZ$429,851 Director Of Ops $16,380 $14,446 2024
Suncoast Primate Sanctuary Foundation Inc FL$431,256 Director $5,000 $4,308 2024
Willapa Bay Fisheries Enhancement Group WA$431,265 Director $90,894 $74,628 2024
Raptor Resource Project IA$432,034 Executive Di $75,000 $77,534 2023
Nicolinas Wishes Charitable Foundation PA$432,119 President $13,462 $12,312 2024
Center For Animal Protection And Education CA$428,652 Officer $12,115 $9,593 2024
Horses Of Tir Na Nog CA$432,472 Administrator $33,280 $27,132 2023
Lincoln County Humane Societyinc WI$427,809 Shelter Mana $59,576 $57,059 2024
Animal Welfare Society Inc CT$433,278 Shelter Manager $79,158 $68,064 2024
The Outreach Connection Inc NJ$427,167 Executive Director $51,877 $42,477 2024
Iaabc Foundation PA$433,786 President $6,400 $6,026 2023
Needy Paws Rescue MO$427,084 President $19,191 $18,640 2024
Forpaws Spay & Neuter Clinic CA$433,838 Ceo $39,820 $31,533 2024
Pets For Patriots Inc NY$434,165 Founder & Chief Executive $134,382 $111,360 2024
Olive Branch Animal Rescue & Refuge Inc WV$426,682 President/treasurer $39,433 $40,311 2023
Green County Humane Society WI$434,304 Executive Director $29,687 $29,272 2023
Cause For Paws Lincoln NE$434,319 President & Ceo $44,000 $44,681 2023
Bella Vista Animal Shelter Inc AR$434,379 Executive Director $40,804 $42,061 2024
Spirits Promise Equine Rescue Corp NY$434,489 Executive Director $1,600 $1,326 2024
Heartland Humane Society Inc SD$434,606 Executive Di $69,158 $69,995 2024
Humane Society Of Sandusky County OH$435,115 Manager $49,619 $48,195 2024
Adoption First Animal Rescue NC$435,564 Vice President $19,500 $18,478 2024
Project 2 Heal NC$436,205 Executive Dir. $50,000 $47,379 2024
Equamore Foundation OR$424,360 Executive Director $35,687 $31,290 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to OH 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 OH 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 default84th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)77th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted85th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted81st

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 (Sera Nelson) 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 631 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (D), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $69,423 is reasonable (approximately the 84th 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.