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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Humane Action Pittsburgh

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 384135485
PA · NTEE D20
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Natalie Ahwesh, Executive Director / CEO ($52,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 424 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: Natalie Ahwesh — reported title “EXEC. DIR. &”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

424 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 424 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,354 total compensation of comparable organizations → $153,301 $52,000
$9,61910th
$20,91025th
$39,599Median
$57,31175th
$75,12090th
$52,000This org · 70th
p10$9,619
p25$20,910
p50$39,599
p75$57,311
p90$75,120
$52,000

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
Fosters & Paws CA$348,916 Pres/exec Di $60,000 $50,464 2024
Standardbred Transition Alliance OH$349,045 Administrator $83,454 $88,636 2023
Humane Society Of Lake County Inc FL$347,950 Executive Dir. $50,390 $46,107 2024
Homeless Pets Foundation Inc GA$349,283 President & Ceo $2,000 $1,959 2024
Helotes Humane Society TX$349,522 Executive Director $10,000 $9,743 2024
Cane Rosso Rescue TX$347,548 Kennel Technician $60,000 $58,459 2024
Turkeys For Tomorrow AL$349,674 Chief Operat $12,500 $13,542 2023
Wonder Dog Rescue NY$350,452 Director $90,000 $79,212 2024
Oregon Pet Project OR$350,457 Executive Director $43,076 $38,963 2024
Buckeye Bulldog Rescue OH$350,497 Board President $82,450 $87,569 2023
Nalas New Life Rescue Inc FL$350,560 Executive Dir. $33,600 $31,652 2023
Westfield Homeless Cat Project MA$350,652 President $52,000 $45,513 2024
Assisi Animal Foundation IL$351,325 Executive Dir. $30,000 $27,986 2025
Second Chance Sheridan Cat Rescue WY$351,477 Director $23,846 $25,606 2023
Marion County Humane Society IA$344,707 President $25,636 $27,341 2024
South Pacific County Humane Society WA$352,781 Shelter Manager $48,192 $43,266 2023
Animal Friends Connection Humane CA$344,128 Director $51,224 $43,082 2024
Bettertogether Forever CA$353,316 Executive Director $79,792 $69,092 2023
Animal Shelter Of St Lucie County FL$353,501 President $44,775 $42,179 2023
Homeless To Home Cat Sanctuary OH$343,305 President $22,932 $24,356 2023
St Francis Pet Care Inc FL$354,167 President $43,254 $40,747 2023
Greenmore Farm Animal Rescue Inc PA$354,282 President $136,631 $129,290 2025
Oswego County Humane Society Inc NY$342,786 Executive Di $50,865 $44,768 2024
Crooked Tail Cat Rescue NC$342,013 President $47,966 $48,273 2024
Elfaro De Los Animales Inc PR$355,982 Executive Director $40,022 $38,874 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), adjusted70th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted69th

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 (Natalie Ahwesh) 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 424 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $52,000 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.