Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Caryl Johnston, Executive Director / CEO ($184,302) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 223 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 100th percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended
Benchmarked executive: Caryl Johnston — reported title “Executive Dir.”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO 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 ID 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer-ralston Post No 1254 | KS | $163,557 | Quatermaster | $750 | $742 | 2025 |
| Veterans Of Foreign War Auxiliary Department Of Ka | KS | $163,979 | Secretary Jr Vic President | $6,900 | $6,827 | 2025 |
| New England First Amendment | MA | $163,291 | Treasurer & | $105,000 | $88,697 | 2024 |
| Brady County Water District | MT | $162,462 | Secertary / Treasurer | $12,003 | $12,163 | 2024 |
| Rising Routes Alliance | CO | $162,008 | Co-founder | $7,420 | $6,688 | 2024 |
| Key Consumer Organization Inc | IN | $161,918 | Executive Director | $45,015 | $45,943 | 2023 |
| Victims Of Milwaukee Violence Burial Fund Inc | WI | $161,810 | Executive Director | $11,400 | $11,192 | 2024 |
| Citizens Union Of The City Of New York | NY | $165,587 | Executive Dir. | $27,500 | $23,360 | 2024 |
| Pine Hill Water System Inc | LA | $161,605 | Secretary | $11,963 | $12,383 | 2024 |
| Fraternal Order Of Eagles | WA | $161,403 | Lead Maintenance | $20,806 | $17,511 | 2024 |
| Wyoming Family Alliance | WY | $165,943 | Ceo/executive Director | $34,489 | $34,717 | 2024 |
| Allegheny League Of Municipalities | PA | $160,784 | Executive Director | $118,257 | $114,133 | 2023 |
| Fleet Reserve Club Of Jax Fl Inc | FL | $166,714 | Manager | $46,375 | $39,898 | 2025 |
| In Honor Of Our Troops | MD | $159,452 | Chairman President | $26,000 | $22,850 | 2024 |
| Roa Standing Together For America's | DC | $159,298 | Executive Director | $18,644 | $15,834 | 2023 |
| Florida Coalition On Black Civic Participation Inc | FL | $159,191 | President | $42,900 | $37,885 | 2024 |
| Center For Self Governance | WA | $168,132 | Executive Director | $27,702 | $24,003 | 2023 |
| Deep Democracy Institute | OR | $158,227 | President | $68,700 | $61,744 | 2023 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 2832 Pike Memorial | OH | $169,487 | Quartermaster | $1,456 | $1,450 | 2024 |
| Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute Inc | IN | $157,725 | President | $98,864 | $98,006 | 2024 |
| Kirk Casey Post No 366 Of The American Legion Depa | NY | $157,640 | 1st Vice Commander | $35,500 | $31,046 | 2023 |
| Veterans Education Project | VA | $170,000 | Executive Director | $30,000 | $27,229 | 2024 |
| U S Veterans Post 104 Corporation | FL | $170,207 | Quartermaster | $2,000 | $1,818 | 2023 |
| Hero Expeditions Incorporated | CO | $170,678 | Executive Director | $36,000 | $32,450 | 2024 |
| Relink (Dba Relinkorg) | OH | $156,040 | Director Of Finance & Hr | $14,208 | $14,564 | 2023 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to ID 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 ID 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 | 100th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 99th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 100th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 98th |
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.