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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Thirsty Lands Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 472280049
PA · NTEE M20
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Gwen Miller, Executive Director / CEO ($1,600) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 18 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 6th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Gwen Miller — reported title “Executive Dir.”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

18 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 18 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$453 total compensation of comparable organizations → $145,023 $1,600
$4,36210th
$10,13325th
$28,275Median
$73,43875th
$99,00790th
$1,600This org · 6th
p10$4,362
p25$10,133
p50$28,275
p75$73,438
p90$99,007
$1,600

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
Solar Responders Inc NY$128,727 Founder/ceo $100,000 $93,290 2023
Pender United Inc NC$133,204 Executive Director $24,000 $26,651 2022
Greene County Interfaith Volunteers NC$122,266 Ex Director $41,760 $43,269 2024
Acts Allowing Christ To Shine Inc IN$135,174 President $61,180 $66,608 2023
Amo Membership Assistance Program Trust FL$136,225 Trustee $80,688 $76,010 2024
Dewey Henderson United Professional KY$119,230 Executive Director $11,395 $12,276 2024
Eastport Chemical Fire Engine Company Nu NY$116,198 Secretary $500 $453 2024
Westhaven Water Supply Corporation TX$141,971 General Manager $15,945 $15,994 2024
Iada Foundation ID$142,147 Executive Director $105,318 $112,347 2024
Lovington Comm Ambulance Serv Inc IL$145,867 Treasurer $4,050 $4,111 2023
Capracare Inc NY$154,101 President & Ceo $10,097 $9,419 2023
Florida National Guard Foundation Inc FL$154,888 Executive Dir. $31,200 $29,391 2024
The Elevated Studio Inc NY$161,388 Executive Director/president $35,600 $33,212 2023
Good Will Fire Company Of Bridgeport Pa PA$94,439 President $4,470 $4,470 2024
Georgia Association Of Realtors GA$93,549 Ceo $26,163 $27,159 2023
Bowmanstown Volunteer Fire Company PA$170,750 Treasurer $7,800 $7,800 2024
Ua Charitable Fund Trust MD$174,618 Trustee $154,691 $145,023 2024
Carlton Complex Long Term Recovery Group WA$175,703 Executive Director $84,335 $75,715 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to PA 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 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 default6th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)6th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted39th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted6th

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 (Gwen Miller) 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 18 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (M20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $1,600 is reasonable (approximately the 6th 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.