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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

New Zoological Society Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 391516018
WI · NTEE D115
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Kristine Schuetze, Executive Director / CEO ($41,183) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 586 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 56th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

586 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 586 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$422 total compensation of comparable organizations → $187,452 $41,183
$8,63910th
$19,34525th
$35,817Median
$55,39775th
$76,74790th
$41,183This org · 56th
p10$8,639
p25$19,345
p50$35,817
p75$55,397
p90$76,747
$41,183

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 WI 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
Stop Animal Exploitation Now OH$291,300 Executive Director $35,506 $37,073 2023
Kitty Angel Rescue Inc GA$291,735 Director $55,000 $54,517 2023
Petmatchmaker Rescue South TN$291,760 Director $19,210 $19,335 2024
Second Chance Ranch WA$291,056 President $8,585 $7,360 2024
Kitkat Playroom Inc NJ$291,928 Executive Director $11,000 $9,404 2024
Patriot Service Dogs Inc FL$292,037 Ceo $52,320 $48,452 2023
Lois E Womer Foundation NJ$290,730 Co-trustee $6,893 $5,893 2024
The Akron Zoological Foundation Inc OH$290,445 President & Ceo $71,282 $72,291 2024
Mesabi Humane Society MN$292,449 Executive Director $24,700 $23,370 2024
Veteran Companion Animal Services OH$290,351 President & Ceo $70,000 $73,089 2023
Tried By Fire Inc NC$292,938 Executive Director $21,735 $22,139 2023
Valley Animal Haven & Adoption Center CA$289,619 Mgr Kennel Opts $34,837 $29,655 2023
Tamarack Wildlife Center PA$289,018 Executive Director $51,284 $50,416 2023
Marshall County Humane Society Inc IN$294,054 Executive Director $56,788 $59,036 2023
Bird Ally X CA$294,077 Director $10,000 $8,512 2023
Laramie Peak Humane Society WY$288,502 Executive Director $52,539 $52,482 2025
East Coast Canine Rescue Inc CT$288,106 President $18,000 $16,638 2023
Orang Utan Republik Foundation Inc CA$295,262 President $12,000 $9,922 2024
Michigan Doodle Rescue Connect MI$287,327 President $11,100 $11,295 2023
Woof Gang Rescue Inc WI$287,325 Exec Dir/pre $35,000 $35,000 2024
Open Door Bird Sanctuary WI$295,913 Executive Director $53,228 $53,228 2024
Sequatchie Valley Low Cost Spay & Neuter TN$286,911 Founder Director $14,500 $15,025 2023
Twin Cities Pet Rescue MN$286,893 Executive Director $32,000 $30,276 2024
Vermont Companion Animal Neutering Inc VT$286,892 President $70,000 $69,457 2023
4 Paws On Deck Inc CT$286,699 President $52,258 $48,302 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to WI 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 WI 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 default56th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)53rd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted57th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted55th

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 (Kristine Schuetze) 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 586 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (D), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $41,183 is reasonable (approximately the 56th 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.