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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Cancer Association Of Mercer County

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 341849030
OH · NTEE G30Z
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Valerie Heitkamp, Executive Director / CEO ($36,073) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 65 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 14th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Valerie Heitkamp — reported title “DIRECTOR”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

65 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 65 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,347 total compensation of comparable organizations → $168,715 $36,073
$25,56210th
$51,26925th
$69,045Median
$88,79875th
$105,02190th
$36,073This org · 14th
p10$25,562
p25$51,269
p50$69,045
p75$88,798
p90$105,021
$36,073

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 OH 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
Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation WA$364,731 Executive Director $72,000 $60,862 2023
The Ferrari Kid TX$364,235 Ceo/executive Director $74,800 $68,618 2024
Testicular Cancer Awareness CO$370,173 Founder & Ce $71,288 $62,687 2024
The Breast Cancer Survivors Network GA$371,865 President & Ceo $1,500 $1,347 2025
Starlite Shores Family Camp MI$373,764 Executive Di $23,808 $22,536 2024
Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer IL$375,569 President/treasurer $70,000 $63,111 2024
The National Witness Project Inc NY$352,895 Executive Director $70,000 $59,721 2023
Jessica June Children's Cancer FL$379,688 President/ce $93,467 $80,522 2024
American Lung Cancer Screening NC$381,744 President $8,000 $7,580 2024
Kids & Art Foundation CA$385,033 Ceo $119,529 $94,653 2024
Oral Cancer Foundation Hill NM$347,299 President $70,000 $69,045 2024
Thriving Pink Inc CA$385,329 Executive Director $59,949 $47,473 2024
Michigan Institute Of Urology Men's MI$347,122 Executive Director $75,000 $73,089 2023
Aurora Integrated Oncology Foundation TN$385,373 Chief Executive Officer $170,001 $168,715 2023
Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance Inc WI$387,377 Executive Dir. $98,620 $94,453 2024
Legacy Of Hope PA$340,430 President $62,500 $61,258 2022
Cancer Patient Support Program VT$338,908 Exec Director $75,098 $69,319 2024
National Alliance Of State Prostate CA$397,462 President $134,588 $106,578 2024
Cancer Resources For Elkhart County IN$402,012 Executive Di $99,287 $96,020 2024
Neuroendocrine Cancer Awareness Network NY$405,089 Exec Director $127,650 $105,782 2024
Breast Friends OR$406,185 Executive Director $45,927 $39,113 2024
Vessel Of Honour Ministries Inc TN$323,115 Executive Director $50,802 $48,971 2024
Berrien County Cancer Services Inc MI$412,437 Executive Director $88,407 $86,155 2023
Tracys Kids Inc MD$315,682 President, Board Member $60,000 $52,962 2023
Partners For Breast Cancer Careinc FL$420,454 Executive Di $99,245 $85,501 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to OH 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 OH 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 default14th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)12th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted17th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted12th

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 (Valerie Heitkamp) 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 65 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (G30), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $36,073 is reasonable (approximately the 14th 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.