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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 454153732
PA · NTEE D20
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Karen Phillips, Executive Director / CEO ($20,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 271 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 30th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

271 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 271 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,354 total compensation of comparable organizations → $562,980 $20,000
$7,62110th
$17,24625th
$30,596Median
$48,97575th
$65,89990th
$20,000This org · 30th
p10$7,621
p25$17,246
p50$30,596
p75$48,975
p90$65,899
$20,000

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 PA 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
Murphy's Paw Rescue Inc CT$206,698 Executive Director $100,000 $94,021 2023
Puplandia Dog Rescue OR$205,932 Founder/dire $75,818 $70,604 2023
Humane Society Of Amherst County VA$205,932 Vice President $3,858 $3,628 2024
Susie Spector Foundation CA$205,497 Coo $76,404 $64,260 2024
No Greater Love Inc AL$205,485 Adoption Coordinator $44,820 $47,162 2024
Meow Mission Incorporated IN$205,482 President $1,500 $1,541 2024
Life With Pigs VA$205,176 President $26,064 $24,512 2024
Sanilac County Humane Society MI$208,104 President $79,189 $81,963 2023
Roanoke Valley Horse Rescue Inc VA$204,861 Ceopresident $55,180 $51,894 2024
Blackfoot Animal Shelter & Rescue ID$204,305 Director $43,479 $45,051 2024
Voters For Animal Rights Inc NY$204,080 Director $4,640 $4,377 2022
The Pet Fund CA$204,014 Executive Director $30,000 $25,231 2024
Critters Pet Rescue Foundation WA$209,672 Vice Present $22,434 $19,563 2024
Ark Rescue Rehab And Foster MS$210,046 Kennel Tech $33,347 $36,174 2024
Northern Lakes Rescue MN$210,094 President $24,259 $24,037 2023
Shaw Pit Bull Rescue MS$210,527 Employee $15,779 $17,623 2023
Gabby's Animal Rescue Inc CA$210,765 President $41,600 $36,021 2023
Shots For Spays CA$202,340 Chief Medical Officer $4,400 $3,606 2025
Tazzy Animal Rescue Fund Inc CA$210,832 Ceo $27,135 $22,822 2024
Equine Rescue League Foundation Inc VA$202,094 Vice President $11,700 $11,328 2023
Puppy Hill Farm Animal Rescue Inc FL$202,073 Executive Director $46,827 $42,847 2024
Animals First Aid Nfp IL$211,091 President $7,358 $7,046 2024
Vicksburg-warren Humane Society MS$211,204 President $45,000 $48,816 2024
Panama City Beach FL$201,772 President $15,457 $14,144 2024
Pawsitive Alliance WA$201,555 Executive Director $32,227 $28,933 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to PA cost of living and 2023 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 PA 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 default30th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)31st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted31st
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted30th

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 (Karen Phillips) 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 271 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $20,000 is reasonable (approximately the 30th 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.