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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Greater Sarasota Chamber Of Commerce

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 261563145
FL · NTEE S30
FY ending 2023-09-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Heather Kasten, Executive Director / CEO ($27,727) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 192 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 9th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

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

How comparable organizations were selected

192 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 192 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$215 total compensation of comparable organizations → $468,227 $27,727
$28,69410th
$60,38825th
$91,813Median
$126,21075th
$157,37690th
$27,727This org · 9th
p10$28,694
p25$60,388
p50$91,813
p75$126,210
p90$157,376
$27,727

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 FL 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
Arlee Community Development Corporation MT$488,173 Executive Director $75,000 $86,059 2023
North Central Montana Economic MT$479,833 Executive Direc $80,000 $91,796 2023
St Hope Development Company CA$490,629 Ceo $234 $215 2023
San Diego North Economic CA$491,997 Ceo $176,358 $157,454 2024
Built Oregon OR$474,305 Director $15,000 $14,403 2024
Sustainable Communities Fund CA$474,274 Chief Executive Officer $269,537 $240,646 2024
Kahua Paa Mua Inc HI$495,746 Mr $30,990 $28,687 2024
Startup Columbus Inc GA$473,042 Executive Dir. $98,329 $102,224 2024
Laurel District Association CA$468,876 Executive Dir. $52,083 $46,501 2024
Go Ithaca NY$502,138 Executive Director $104,000 $97,167 2024
Historic Valley Junction Foundation IA$502,155 Executive Di $69,950 $81,530 2023
Industry University Research Center Inc PR$467,060 Executive Director $140,176 $136,154 2024
Civstart Corp DC$465,744 Ceo $96,900 $90,516 2023
Economic Development Corporation UT$465,280 Director $107,039 $116,616 2023
Michigan Economic Developers MI$463,953 Executive Di $117,108 $128,670 2023
Polk Vision Inc FL$506,806 Executive Director $112,290 $109,068 2024
Entrepreneurs For Global Change Inc NY$507,709 Executive Director $97,917 $91,484 2024
Waterstart NV$508,109 Executive Director $198,122 $211,398 2023
Science Technology And Research DE$509,736 President/treasurer $30,000 $30,371 2024
Somosvc CA$509,844 Executive Director/secretary $174,798 $160,671 2023
Buffalo Niagara Film Commission Inc NY$459,494 President $110,892 $103,607 2024
Springfield Regional Development Corp VT$510,661 Executive Director $100,769 $104,869 2024
Division Midway Alliance For OR$458,798 Executive Dir. $90,189 $86,597 2024
Identity Clark County WA$458,605 Policy And Projects Coordinator $2,143 $2,042 2023
Bohemia Food Hub OR$511,639 President $59,604 $57,230 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to FL 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 FL 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 default9th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)9th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted0th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted92nd

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 (Heather Kasten) 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 192 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (S30), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $27,727 is reasonable (approximately the 9th 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.