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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Tamarack Wildlife Center

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 251612626
PA · NTEE D340
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Carol Holmgren, Executive Director / CEO ($51,284) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 579 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 70th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Carol Holmgren — reported title “Executive Director”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

579 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 579 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$430 total compensation of comparable organizations → $190,679 $51,284
$8,71310th
$19,34725th
$36,174Median
$56,30275th
$78,14190th
$51,284This org · 70th
p10$8,713
p25$19,347
p50$36,174
p75$56,302
p90$78,141
$51,284

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
Laramie Peak Humane Society WY$288,502 Executive Director $52,539 $53,384 2025
Valley Animal Haven & Adoption Center CA$289,619 Mgr Kennel Opts $34,837 $30,165 2023
East Coast Canine Rescue Inc CT$288,106 President $18,000 $16,924 2023
Veteran Companion Animal Services OH$290,351 President & Ceo $70,000 $74,346 2023
The Akron Zoological Foundation Inc OH$290,445 President & Ceo $71,282 $73,536 2024
Michigan Doodle Rescue Connect MI$287,327 President $11,100 $11,489 2023
Woof Gang Rescue Inc WI$287,325 Exec Dir/pre $35,000 $35,603 2024
Lois E Womer Foundation NJ$290,730 Co-trustee $6,893 $5,994 2024
Second Chance Ranch WA$291,056 President $8,585 $7,487 2024
Sequatchie Valley Low Cost Spay & Neuter TN$286,911 Founder Director $14,500 $15,284 2023
Twin Cities Pet Rescue MN$286,893 Executive Director $32,000 $30,798 2024
Vermont Companion Animal Neutering Inc VT$286,892 President $70,000 $70,652 2023
Stop Animal Exploitation Now OH$291,300 Executive Director $35,506 $37,711 2023
4 Paws On Deck Inc CT$286,699 President $52,258 $49,134 2023
New Zoological Society Inc WI$291,425 Administrato $41,183 $41,891 2024
Animal Education And Rescue Nfp IL$286,406 President $53,879 $51,592 2024
Second Chance Spca TX$286,402 Director Of Operations $43,400 $43,534 2023
Kitty Angel Rescue Inc GA$291,735 Director $55,000 $55,455 2023
Petmatchmaker Rescue South TN$291,760 Director $19,210 $19,668 2024
Barking Lot CA$286,118 Director $15,000 $12,988 2023
Kitkat Playroom Inc NJ$291,928 Executive Director $11,000 $9,566 2024
Patriot Service Dogs Inc FL$292,037 Ceo $52,320 $49,287 2023
Fifty Shades Of Furr Inc MD$285,695 President $35,125 $31,985 2024
Mesabi Humane Society MN$292,449 Executive Director $24,700 $23,772 2024
Pigs Peace Sanctuary WA$285,356 President $28,800 $25,115 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to PA 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 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 default70th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)67th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted66th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted68th

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 (Carol Holmgren) 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 579 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (D), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $51,284 is reasonable (approximately the 70th 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.