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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Country Roads Animal Rescue Society

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 473854005
OK · NTEE D20
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Maria Latham, Executive Director / CEO ($5,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 64 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 9th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Maria Latham — reported title “Founder”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

64 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 64 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$2,150 total compensation of comparable organizations → $76,398 $5,000
$5,42810th
$8,47325th
$22,810Median
$33,85875th
$50,02390th
$5,000This org · 9th
p10$5,428
p25$8,473
p50$22,810
p75$33,858
p90$50,023
$5,000

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 OK 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
Francis Halbrook Hensley Animal Shelter TN$103,574 Shelter Director $25,635 $24,471 2024
Valley Shore Animal Welfare League CT$103,295 Treasurer $3,044 $2,669 2023
Pet Rescue Pilots CA$105,089 Executive Director $36,000 $29,065 2023
Arm Sanctuary Inc FL$101,520 Vice Preside $13,200 $11,594 2023
Puddy Tat Protectors Inc TN$101,133 President $48,100 $45,916 2024
Leaders For Ethics Animals & The CA$106,134 Secretary & $100,000 $76,398 2025
Feline Rescue Network CO$99,540 Secretary $6,901 $6,009 2024
Baby Kitten Rescue CA$108,397 Director, Ce $12,000 $9,410 2024
Harry A Biszantz Memorial Center CA$108,711 President $30,000 $23,526 2024
Chance Shelter AZ$108,815 President & $10,800 $9,433 2024
Seniors Pet Assistance Network TX$110,496 Executive Director $33,337 $30,285 2024
Jessica's Haven And Rescue CA$95,823 Secretary/coo/director $51,840 $40,653 2024
Rescue K9-1-1 Inc AL$111,394 President $12,000 $11,773 2024
Animal Placement Agency Of The Windsors NJ$94,525 Manager $27,484 $22,943 2023
Farm Animal Care Coalition Of Tn TN$113,999 Secretary $55,125 $54,176 2023
Whippet Health Foundation Inc MA$114,173 Director $5,081 $4,147 2024
Paws For Life Inc MD$92,903 Secretary/treasurer $9,150 $7,769 2024
Kitticcino Charities OH$114,311 Chief Executive Officer $34,782 $34,444 2023
Sophie Kerrigan For The Love Of OH$92,564 Executive Di $25,000 $24,757 2023
Contented Critters MN$92,288 Animal Rescue Director $36,540 $33,758 2023
Voice For The Animals CA$116,536 Founder And Executive Director $27,000 $21,173 2024
Mayor's Alliance For Nyc's Animals Inc NY$88,630 President/chairman $15,700 $12,884 2024
Pawsitive Beings Rescue Inc FL$87,943 President $7,079 $6,039 2024
Second Chance Rescue And Adoption Inc NJ$87,873 President $7,750 $6,470 2023
Quail & Upland Game Alliance IL$119,801 Regional Dir $27,500 $25,278 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to OK 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 OK 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 default9th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)8th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted13th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted9th

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 (Maria Latham) 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 64 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $5,000 is reasonable (approximately the 9th 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.