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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation And Educati

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 232090486
PA · NTEE D340
FY ending 2024-09-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Leah Stallings, Executive Director / CEO ($65,077) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 18 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 94th percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended

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

How comparable organizations were selected

18 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 18 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$5,286 total compensation of comparable organizations → $97,153 $65,077
$29,86710th
$40,44325th
$50,484Median
$58,98975th
$61,95590th
$65,077This org · 94th
p10$29,867
p25$40,443
p50$50,484
p75$58,989
p90$61,955
$65,077

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 PA 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
Animal Nation Inc NY$420,470 President $5,834 $5,286 2024
Primate Rescue Center KY$420,752 Executive Director $59,998 $64,639 2024
Woodlands Wildlife Refuge Inc NJ$437,114 Executive Di $69,711 $60,805 2025
Wildlife Center Of The North Coast OR$450,780 Executive Director $60,000 $55,874 2024
Idaho Reptile Zoo Inc ID$455,171 President $47,616 $52,294 2023
Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge Inc FL$456,869 Executive Director $43,200 $41,898 2023
Wildlife Sanctuary Of Northwest FL$457,165 Executive Di $32,515 $31,534 2023
Teller Wildlife Refuge Inc MT$474,608 Executive Director (Former) $87,300 $97,153 2023
Apex Protection Project CA$487,387 Corrsp Sec $63,237 $56,374 2023
Sharks Pacific CA$322,725 Ceo $67,148 $59,860 2023
Wild Wings Inc NY$320,133 Director $49,479 $46,158 2023
Gentle Giants CA$319,643 President $30,000 $25,977 2024
Wildwoods MN$314,229 Executive Di $47,714 $48,674 2023
Peace River Refuge & Ranch Inc FL$523,876 Treasurer $41,200 $39,958 2023
Tony Fitzjohng Adamson African Wildlife CA$539,212 Field Director $70,000 $60,613 2024
Tamarack Wildlife Center PA$289,018 Executive Director $51,284 $52,799 2023
Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation TX$555,864 Executive Di $46,251 $46,394 2024
Sleepy Pig Farm Animal Sanctuary Inc NY$586,002 Secretary $36,000 $33,584 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to PA 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 PA 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 default94th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)78th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted94th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted94th

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 (Leah Stallings) 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 18 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D34), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $65,077 is reasonable (approximately the 94th 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.