Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Joseph Gurley, Executive Director / CEO ($105,625) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 1773 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 77th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range
Benchmarked executive: Joseph Gurley — reported title “DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.
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 TN cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.
| Organization | State | Revenue | Matched title | Comp (reported) | Comp (adjusted) | FY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 742 Local Education Activities | MN | $404,292 | Executive Director | $33,186 | $32,117 | 2023 |
| Pine Bluffs Senior Center Inc | WY | $404,472 | Executive Dir. | $44,602 | $45,437 | 2024 |
| Staffing Services Association Of Il | IL | $404,500 | Executive Director | $50,500 | $48,628 | 2023 |
| Madison County Chamber Of Commerce | IA | $403,434 | Executive Dir. | $65,388 | $68,113 | 2024 |
| New Jersey Working Families | NJ | $403,351 | Exec Directo | $110,227 | $93,627 | 2024 |
| Engage Winona | MN | $404,673 | Executive Director | $68,000 | $63,923 | 2024 |
| Mechanical Contractors Assn Of | IA | $404,675 | Executive Director | $13,989 | $15,002 | 2023 |
| Volunteer Center Of Cedar Valley | IA | $403,233 | Executive Director | $87,185 | $90,818 | 2024 |
| New Mexico Information Technology And | NM | $404,728 | Executive Director | $114,948 | $117,618 | 2024 |
| Utility Contractors Association Of | OR | $403,221 | Executive Director | $89,400 | $78,983 | 2024 |
| Hamilton Partnership For Paterson Inc | NJ | $403,168 | Former Exec Dir | $72,000 | $61,157 | 2024 |
| Ripley County Caring Community | MO | $403,145 | Executive Di | $50,715 | $51,102 | 2024 |
| Natchez Inc | MS | $404,949 | Executive Director | $183,000 | $199,627 | 2023 |
| Boise Farmers Market Inc | ID | $402,996 | Executive Director | $81,650 | $82,633 | 2024 |
| Vernon Economic Development | WI | $402,740 | Executive Director | $88,080 | $87,512 | 2024 |
| Wenatchee Downtown Association | WA | $402,652 | Executive Director | $83,932 | $71,489 | 2024 |
| Anacostia Trails Heritage Area Inc | MD | $405,305 | Executive Director | $84,612 | $73,316 | 2025 |
| Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance | CO | $402,621 | Executive Director | $62,141 | $58,361 | 2023 |
| Craft3 Future Fund | OR | $405,349 | President | $31,950 | $29,061 | 2023 |
| Industry Council For Emergency Response | DC | $402,605 | Executive Director | $223,321 | $191,943 | 2023 |
| Princeton Business Partnership | NJ | $402,438 | Executive Director | $116,642 | $99,076 | 2024 |
| Tricounty Community Network Inc | PA | $405,524 | Executive Director | $160,735 | $156,997 | 2023 |
| Historic Hillsboro Downtown Partnership | OR | $402,408 | Executive Director | $44,219 | $38,059 | 2025 |
| San Diego Military Advisory Council | CA | $402,363 | President & Ceo | $100,000 | $84,576 | 2023 |
| Holy Ghost Association Inc | MA | $402,345 | Asst Treasurer | $18,221 | $16,037 | 2023 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to TN cost of living and 2024 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.
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 TN 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.
Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:
| Basis | Subject percentile |
|---|---|
| Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default | 77th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 73rd |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 79th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 67th |
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.
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
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.