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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Compassionate Action For Animals

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 411846192
MN · NTEE D012
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Laura Matanah, Executive Director / CEO ($53,403) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 16 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 44th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Laura Matanah — reported title “EXECUTIVE DI”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

16 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 16 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$3,167 total compensation of comparable organizations → $140,310 $53,403
$23,20110th
$43,27425th
$58,341Median
$68,11575th
$89,83890th
$53,403This org · 44th
p10$23,201
p25$43,274
p50$58,341
p75$68,115
p90$89,838
$53,403

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
Legal Impact For Chickens CA$473,745 President Executive Director $72,493 $65,222 2023
Phx Cat Cafe AZ$478,659 Ceo $35,772 $34,817 2024
Wyoming Wildlife Advocates WY$493,587 Director $14,117 $15,299 2024
Animalkind Inc NC$508,078 Manager $49,545 $51,809 2024
Safe Pet Project Inc GA$513,389 Advisor $56,661 $57,657 2024
Angel Paws UT$386,459 President $44,500 $46,093 2024
South Carolina Wildlife Federation SC$537,106 Executive Di $76,960 $81,254 2024
Companion Animal Medical Project OR$384,445 Founderexecutive Director $54,344 $51,074 2024
Shelter A Mutt Inc TX$573,900 Treasurer $3,038 $3,167 2023
Louisiana Wildlife Federation LA$325,758 Executive Director $85,785 $98,421 2023
A Hope Inc FL$318,886 Presidentceo $32,714 $31,102 2024
Oinking Acres Farm Rescue & Sanctuary IN$605,074 Executive Director $57,820 $61,708 2024
Predator Defense OR$313,611 Executive Director $145,010 $140,310 2023
Bounce Animal Rescue CO$310,747 Executive Director $60,823 $59,024 2024
Humane Society Of Mason County WA$618,048 Executive Di $65,000 $60,635 2023
Wyoming Wilderness Association WY$669,389 Executive Di $68,828 $76,792 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 default44th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)38th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted44th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted44th

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 (Laura Matanah) 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 16 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D01), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $53,403 is reasonable (approximately the 44th 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.