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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Deep Democracy Institute

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 205919157
OR · NTEE W70
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Max Schupbach Phd, Executive Director / CEO ($68,700) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 17 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 59th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Max Schupbach Phd — reported title “PRESIDENT”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

17 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 17 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$6,310 total compensation of comparable organizations → $126,200 $68,700
$10,34610th
$14,71925th
$43,239Median
$83,97175th
$109,16590th
$68,700This org · 59th
p10$10,346
p25$14,719
p50$43,239
p75$83,971
p90$109,165
$68,700

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 OR 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
Nebraska Human Resources Research NE$148,321 Executive Director $22,824 $26,434 2023
Heartland Center For Leadership NE$183,296 President $75,275 $82,499 2025
Community Leadership Development Program NY$185,289 President & Ceo $76,758 $74,689 2023
American Leadership Forum Tacoma WA$198,320 President $24,700 $22,534 2025
Technical College Directors Association GA$204,001 Executive Dir. $120,000 $126,200 2024
Bold Leadership Network SC$206,208 Secretary $18,540 $20,828 2023
Shannon Leadership Institute MN$208,093 Executive Director (Through July 2024) $12,500 $12,918 2024
Catawba Valley Leadership Foundation Inc NC$212,187 Foundation Director $42,375 $45,795 2024
Georgia Athletic Directors Association GA$214,748 Executive Director $6,000 $6,310 2024
Mclaran Leadership Foundation OR$217,633 Executive Director $15,154 $14,719 2024
Move For America MN$220,083 Executive Director $7,500 $7,980 2023
Leadership Lorain County Inc OH$224,812 President & Ceo $75,800 $83,971 2024
Hope Anchor & Crew Inc IN$226,571 President $38,077 $43,239 2023
Rise Up Woman International IN$226,790 President $10,500 $11,924 2023
Lideramos CO$227,132 Executive Dir. $102,451 $102,751 2024
Leading For Change Inc AZ$231,487 President & Ceo $109,740 $110,388 2024
Greater Missouri Leadership MO$235,713 Executive Di $95,000 $108,350 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to OR 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 OR 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 default59th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)59th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted35th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted47th

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 (Max Schupbach Phd) 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 17 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (W70), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $68,700 is reasonable (approximately the 59th 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.