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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

The Community Kitchen Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 351778285
IN · NTEE T30Z
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Laura Echsner, Executive Director / CEO ($16,640) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 223 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: Laura Echsner — reported title “KITCHEN OPERATIONS DIRECTOR - STARTING JULY 8, 202”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

223 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 223 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$734 total compensation of comparable organizations → $280,993 $16,640
$12,26010th
$24,31625th
$44,455Median
$69,65375th
$92,37790th
$16,640This org · 14th
p10$12,260
p25$24,316
p50$44,455
p75$69,653
p90$92,377
$16,640

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 IN 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
Johnson City - Jonesborough- Washington TN$308,345 President $34,332 $34,221 2024
Tibetan Charities Inc NY$307,027 President $90,655 $79,975 2023
Woods Affiliation Corp PA$309,407 Treasurer $30,458 $29,653 2023
Edward & Willa Kelly Community NE$306,526 Executive Dir. $84,056 $85,730 2024
The Blessing Center Inc CA$306,191 President $36,000 $29,478 2024
Kidney Cancer Research Alliance Inc VA$306,058 President $150,000 $141,396 2023
New Jersey State Federation Of Womens Clubs NJ$310,251 Care Vp $14,984 $12,359 2025
Education Nexus Oregon OR$305,394 Executive Director Thru Mar2024 $45,000 $39,628 2024
Living Resources Foundation Inc NY$311,021 Ceo $26,209 $22,458 2024
Samaritan Ministries Inc MD$312,260 Executive Director $54,736 $49,959 2023
Global Vision 2020 Inc MD$303,906 Exec Director $120,000 $106,385 2024
Mds Foundation Inc MA$313,380 Executive Director, Clerk $35,827 $29,743 2025
Giltner Public Schools Foundation NE$302,628 Executive Di $35,864 $36,578 2024
Ministry Services Group Inc GA$314,000 Ceo, Director $3,000 $2,860 2024
Thatcher Family Fund OH$302,002 Treasurer $42,109 $43,542 2023
Leading Education DC$315,241 Director $6,230 $5,184 2024
Supporters Of Civil Society Inc MO$300,893 Treasurer $17,003 $17,077 2024
Studentsfirst New York Institute Inc NY$300,000 Executive Director $43,000 $36,846 2024
Dake Foundation For Children NY$316,350 Executive Director $55,847 $47,854 2024
One By One Costa Rica NC$316,898 Director $18,317 $18,477 2023
Generations For Peace Inc TN$299,192 Executive Dir. $156,371 $155,864 2024
Toy Box Connection Nfp IL$299,057 President & Exec. Director $147,000 $133,509 2025
The Dominguez Dream In Memory Of CA$317,313 Executive Director $71,000 $58,137 2024
Pikes Peak Or Bust Rodeo Foundation CO$318,025 General Manager $37,410 $33,139 2025
Peace For The Persecuted CA$296,669 President $3,000 $2,529 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to IN 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 IN 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)13th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted33rd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted10th

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 (Laura Echsner) 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 223 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (T30), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $16,640 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.