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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Stearns Electric Association Trust

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 411768397
MN · NTEE T70Z
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 13, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Matt O'shea, Executive Director / CEO ($116,317) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 105 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 96th percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended

Benchmarked executive: Matt O'shea — reported title “CEO - STEARNS ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

105 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 105 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,220 total compensation of comparable organizations → $163,361 $116,317
$13,06410th
$30,85325th
$42,260Median
$58,82775th
$71,55090th
$116,317This org · 96th
p10$13,064
p25$30,853
p50$42,260
p75$58,827
p90$71,550
$116,317

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
United Way Of Dodge County Inc WI$201,720 Executive Director $18,375 $18,920 2025
Atchison United Way Board KS$200,949 Executive Director $8,620 $9,182 2025
Breast Cancer Eradication Initiative Inc TN$200,539 Executive Director $12,000 $12,765 2024
Angels On The Bay Inc NY$205,028 Vp $34,692 $31,726 2024
Callaway County United Way MO$198,210 Executive Director $39,991 $42,866 2024
Rhea County United Way TN$197,461 Executive Director $40,000 $42,551 2024
United Way Of Northeast Michigan MI$196,067 Executive Di $36,000 $38,715 2023
Calumet Area Community Health Foundation Inc WI$195,451 President $20,700 $21,878 2024
United Way Of Franklin County TN$195,004 Executive Director $35,375 $38,743 2023
United Way Of Coles County Inc IL$194,923 Executive Director $41,600 $41,390 2024
Insaan Group NY$210,885 Chief Executive Officer $31,681 $28,972 2024
Matagorda County United Way TX$194,072 Executive Director $58,110 $58,827 2024
United Way Of The Coalfield Inc KY$193,734 Executive Di $49,423 $55,325 2023
United Way Of Fulton County OH$193,032 Administrato $63,000 $69,524 2023
United Way Of Central Kansas Inc KS$212,913 Executive Director $49,343 $53,948 2024
Mennen Environmental Foundation CA$191,557 Executive Dir. $40,000 $35,988 2023
The Luxury Education Foundation NY$191,252 Employee $130,000 $122,396 2023
Vernacular Video Mission International Inc MN$190,832 Executive Director $62,640 $62,640 2024
United Way Of Rockbridge Inc VA$190,380 Executive Director $38,000 $38,228 2023
Pgei Of America Charitable NJ$215,223 Administrator $14,525 $13,512 2023
Equality Illinois IL$190,104 Secretary/ Ceo $147,094 $150,673 2023
Warrensburg R-vi School District MO$215,428 Executive Di $49,448 $53,003 2024
United Way Of Whitman County WA$188,519 Executive Director $51,624 $46,775 2024
Batavia United Way IL$217,332 Executive Dir $32,500 $32,336 2024
Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Committee PA$187,672 Race Directo $31,000 $30,480 2025

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 default96th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)96th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted0th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted95th

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 (Matt O'shea) 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 13, 2026, comparing compensation against 105 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (T70), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $116,317 is reasonable (approximately the 96th 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 13, 2026.