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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Soto Zen Buddhism International Center

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 470894467
CA · NTEE X50
FY ending 2025-03-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Godwin Konjin, Executive Director / CEO ($15,500) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 21 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 29th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Godwin Konjin — reported title “PRESIDENT”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

21 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 21 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$6,159 total compensation of comparable organizations → $113,993 $15,500
$8,00210th
$12,68125th
$26,208Median
$43,30075th
$104,60590th
$15,500This org · 29th
p10$8,002
p25$12,681
p50$26,208
p75$43,300
p90$104,605
$15,500

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
The Korinji Foundation WI$269,299 President $24,700 $30,664 2024
Diamond Cutter Classics AZ$273,905 President $36,789 $43,300 2023
Santa Monastery CO$248,734 President $30,000 $34,195 2024
Wong Tai-sen Center CA$284,118 President $12,000 $12,681 2023
Drepung Loseling Institute Of Texas TX$287,822 Director $31,200 $37,100 2024
Lien Hoa Tu CA$242,753 Ceo $9,600 $10,145 2023
Tu Hieu Buddhist Temple TX$232,821 Buddhist/president $14,600 $17,360 2024
Lone Star Buddhist Meditation Center Inc TX$303,863 Head Monk $22,000 $26,932 2023
Buta Buddhism Research Center CA$304,544 President & Ceo $8,500 $8,725 2024
Danang Foundation Corp NY$218,974 President $45,600 $48,982 2024
Won Buddhism Of The Usa Inc MD$218,674 President $7,200 $8,002 2024
Palbar Ling Center CA$206,296 President $6,000 $6,159 2024
Cambridge House For Inner Peace Inc MA$333,993 Former Executive Director $97,926 $104,605 2024
Phap Van Monastery TX$196,351 President $6,000 $7,135 2024
An Lac Hanh Temple Inc FL$195,691 Nguyen $15,000 $16,751 2024
Durango Sangha CO$194,469 Director, Dharma Teacher $42,667 $48,633 2024
Dharmadatta Community NY$194,055 President $24,398 $26,208 2024
Kevala Retreat WI$187,418 President & Resident Teacher $90,000 $111,730 2024
The Center For Contemplative CO$363,705 Executive Di $100,008 $113,993 2024
Meditation Center Of Texas TX$383,409 Secretary $15,600 $18,550 2024
Dharma Ocean Foundation CO$391,743 Executive Di $19,044 $21,707 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to CA cost of living and 2025 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 default29th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)38th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted38th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted29th

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 (Godwin Konjin) 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 21 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (X50), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $15,500 is reasonable (approximately the 29th 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.