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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

The Ferndale Cat Shelter

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 470979290
MI · NTEE D20
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Deanne Iovan, Executive Director / CEO ($48,836) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 15 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 47th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

15 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 15 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$16,061 total compensation of comparable organizations → $110,000 $48,836
$27,88310th
$41,89325th
$51,477Median
$56,13175th
$66,65890th
$48,836This org · 47th
p10$27,883
p25$41,893
p50$51,477
p75$56,131
p90$66,658
$48,836

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 MI 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
Almost Home Animal Rescue League MI$476,413 President $55,900 $57,551 2023
Noah Project MI$502,931 Executive Dir. $52,000 $52,000 2024
All Species Kinship MI$514,982 President/ E $35,730 $35,730 2024
Alliance For Contraception In Cats & Dogs MI$453,609 President $110,000 $110,000 2024
Humane Society Of St Clair County MI$526,102 President $22,652 $22,652 2024
Shiawassee County Humane MI$439,892 Ex Director $62,887 $62,887 2024
Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption MI$439,737 President $52,928 $54,491 2023
Rebel Dogs Detroit Inc MI$548,491 Executive Director Board President $54,711 $54,711 2024
Crash's Landing MI$391,648 1721 Graham Ct Nw Grand Rapids, Mi 49504 $42,000 $42,000 2024
A Rejoyceful Animal Rescue MI$588,491 President $15,600 $16,061 2023
H U G S For Horses And Children MI$378,217 President $69,172 $69,172 2024
Delta Animal Shelter MI$369,806 Trustee/part $42,570 $43,827 2023
Eva Burrell Animal Shelter MI$601,968 Manager Director $41,786 $41,786 2024
I Heart Dogs Rescue And MI$665,303 Chairperson; $50,000 $51,477 2023
Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare MI$719,588 Executive Di $43,464 $43,464 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MI 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 MI 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 default47th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)47th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted47th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted47th

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 (Deanne Iovan) 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 15 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20) + MI + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $48,836 is reasonable (approximately the 47th 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.