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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Hibbing Animal Shelter Aka Precious Paws Humane Society

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 411740717
MN · NTEE D200
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Carrie Nelson, Executive Director / CEO ($18,120) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 97 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 37th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

97 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 97 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,519 total compensation of comparable organizations → $584,959 $18,120
$5,85610th
$10,32825th
$27,270Median
$38,06675th
$58,98390th
$18,120This org · 37th
p10$5,856
p25$10,328
p50$27,270
p75$38,066
p90$58,983
$18,120

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 MN 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
The Centralia Humane Society IL$129,532 Secretary $26,071 $25,271 2025
Dawgs Fight Back Inc NH$126,901 President / Treasurer / Se $19,000 $17,755 2024
Animal Rescue Front Inc MA$131,104 Executive Director $58,600 $54,867 2023
Horses' Honor CA$126,431 President $4,500 $3,933 2024
Delaware Society For The Prevention Of DE$125,496 Executive Director $10,422 $10,328 2024
Animal Victory Disaster & Abuse Fund NC$132,488 Executive Director $9,280 $9,704 2024
Rescue Every Dog WA$124,668 Executive Director $34,560 $31,314 2024
Divine Canines TX$133,127 Executive Director $62,877 $63,653 2024
Humane Society Of Moab Valley UT$133,487 Executive Di $58,044 $60,121 2024
Therapy Dogs Of Santa Barbara Inc CA$133,863 $39,897 $34,866 2024
Because Animals Matter UT$134,071 Adoption Man $27,301 $29,113 2023
Crawford County Humane Society IL$134,467 President $30,380 $30,226 2024
Margarets Saving Grace Bully Rescue Inc VA$122,054 Secretary $7,085 $6,923 2024
Rowena Wildlife Clinic OR$136,292 President/secretary $6,260 $6,057 2023
Alley Animals Inc MD$136,481 President $17,225 $17,467 2022
Kentucky Lab Rescue Inc KY$136,780 President $5,400 $6,045 2023
Medina Raptor Center OH$136,782 Exec Directo $35,513 $38,066 2024
Quail & Upland Game Alliance IL$119,801 Regional Dir $27,500 $28,169 2023
Creative Acres Inc CO$138,016 President $3,800 $3,688 2024
Borderland Humane Society MN$138,141 Facility Man $7,353 $7,353 2024
Owl Moon Raptor Center Inc MD$138,761 Officer $33,600 $31,791 2024
Last Chance For Arkansas Animals AR$138,931 Executive Director $3,400 $3,982 2023
Finding Shelter Inc PA$141,215 President $17,680 $18,370 2023
Voice For The Animals CA$116,536 Founder And Executive Director $27,000 $23,595 2024
Southport Oak Island Animal Rescue NC$141,617 Manager $33,943 $36,543 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MN 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 MN 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 default37th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)39th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted37th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted35th

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 (Carrie Nelson) 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 97 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $18,120 is reasonable (approximately the 37th 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.