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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Sonoma County Fair Foundation

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 454827997
CA · NTEE N113
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Cyndy Dalbeck, Executive Director / CEO ($83,605) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 183 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: Cyndy Dalbeck — reported title “CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

183 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 183 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$152 total compensation of comparable organizations → $224,318 $83,605
$1,68410th
$5,65425th
$16,736Median
$37,12475th
$60,55290th
$83,605This org · 96th
p10$1,684
p25$5,654
p50$16,736
p75$37,124
p90$60,552
$83,605

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 CA 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
York Bell Conservation Reserve Inc TN$96,504 Vp/treasurer $6,000 $7,304 2024
Waynesboro Youth Soccer Association PA$96,472 Director $2,000 $2,310 2024
University Of Hoops Inc TX$96,438 President $12,000 $13,901 2024
Colorado Basketball Club CO$96,959 Director $8,225 $9,133 2024
Cook County Snowmobile Club Inc MN$96,076 Gambling Man $14,625 $16,736 2024
Rock Creek Clubhouse Inc ND$95,996 Club House Manager $13,328 $17,439 2023
Dr Roach Outdoor League Inc OH$97,585 Secretary $600 $736 2024
Crested Butte Snowsports Foundation CO$97,790 Executive Director $37,167 $41,272 2024
Queen City Water Sports Center OH$98,016 President $32,000 $40,410 2023
Shaolin Traditional Kung Fu Inc MD$95,260 Director $45,600 $50,829 2023
Teen Venture VA$94,585 Executive Director $30,699 $35,341 2023
United States Bowling Congress SC$98,875 Association Manager $8,927 $10,507 2025
Holiday Rambler Recreational Vehicle IN$94,391 Finance Coordinator $600 $755 2023
Hamilton Joes Baseball Club Inc OH$94,036 Presidenttreasurer $11,873 $14,563 2024
The Foundry WY$99,293 Director - Manager $5,500 $6,644 2025
Peak Adventure Ministries NC$93,513 Executive Director $24,500 $29,317 2024
Temple Recreation Association PA$93,035 President $14,600 $17,359 2023
Rio Grande Valley Junior Volleyball TX$100,312 President $9,500 $11,005 2024
Kalamazoo Soccer Club MI$92,953 Registrar $3,699 $4,552 2023
Chugach Mountain Bike Riders AK$100,790 Executive Director $29,800 $33,968 2023
United States Field Hockey CO$91,987 Executive Di $114,583 $130,997 2023
The Mccall Group CA$91,878 Executive Director $57,600 $59,301 2023
Moorhead Crush Fastpitch MN$101,536 Director $2,490 $2,849 2024
Union City Eagle Aquatic Club Corp NJ$91,573 President $13,741 $14,628 2023
The Bridge House AR$91,531 Director $114 $152 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to CA 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 CA 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)97th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted0th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted97th

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 (Cyndy Dalbeck) 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 183 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (N), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $83,605 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 9, 2026.