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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Whippet Health Foundation Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 391950341
MA · NTEE D20
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Susanne Hughes, Executive Director / CEO ($5,081) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 74 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 7th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Susanne Hughes — 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

74 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 74 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,670 total compensation of comparable organizations → $643,217 $5,081
$6,87110th
$11,53825th
$30,655Median
$47,24875th
$65,44790th
$5,081This org · 7th
p10$6,871
p25$11,538
p50$30,655
p75$47,248
p90$65,447
$5,081

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 MA 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
Kitticcino Charities OH$114,311 Chief Executive Officer $34,782 $42,206 2023
Farm Animal Care Coalition Of Tn TN$113,999 Secretary $55,125 $66,386 2023
Voice For The Animals CA$116,536 Founder And Executive Director $27,000 $25,945 2024
Rescue K9-1-1 Inc AL$111,394 President $12,000 $14,427 2024
Seniors Pet Assistance Network TX$110,496 Executive Director $33,337 $37,110 2024
Chance Shelter AZ$108,815 President & $10,800 $11,558 2024
Harry A Biszantz Memorial Center CA$108,711 President $30,000 $28,828 2024
Quail & Upland Game Alliance IL$119,801 Regional Dir $27,500 $30,974 2023
Baby Kitten Rescue CA$108,397 Director, Ce $12,000 $11,531 2024
Margarets Saving Grace Bully Rescue Inc VA$122,054 Secretary $7,085 $7,613 2024
Leaders For Ethics Animals & The CA$106,134 Secretary & $100,000 $93,615 2025
Pet Rescue Pilots CA$105,089 Executive Director $36,000 $35,615 2023
Rescue Every Dog WA$124,668 Executive Director $34,560 $34,433 2024
Francis Halbrook Hensley Animal Shelter TN$103,574 Shelter Director $25,635 $29,986 2024
Country Roads Animal Rescue Society OK$103,547 Founder $5,000 $6,127 2024
Valley Shore Animal Welfare League CT$103,295 Treasurer $3,044 $3,270 2023
Delaware Society For The Prevention Of DE$125,496 Executive Director $10,422 $11,356 2024
Horses' Honor CA$126,431 President $4,500 $4,324 2024
Arm Sanctuary Inc FL$101,520 Vice Preside $13,200 $14,207 2023
Dawgs Fight Back Inc NH$126,901 President / Treasurer / Se $19,000 $19,523 2024
Puddy Tat Protectors Inc TN$101,133 President $48,100 $56,264 2024
Feline Rescue Network CO$99,540 Secretary $6,901 $7,364 2024
Hibbing Animal Shelter Aka Precious Paws Humane Society MN$128,881 Shelter Manager $18,120 $19,925 2024
The Centralia Humane Society IL$129,532 Secretary $26,071 $27,787 2025
Animal Rescue Front Inc MA$131,104 Executive Director $58,600 $60,331 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MA 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 MA 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 default7th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)8th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted9th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted7th

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 (Susanne Hughes) 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 74 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $5,081 is reasonable (approximately the 7th 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.