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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Friends Of Lee Richardson Zoo Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 480830046
KS · NTEE D115
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Jessica Norton, Executive Director / CEO ($63,282) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 574 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 85th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Jessica Norton — reported title “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

574 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 574 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$408 total compensation of comparable organizations → $181,210 $63,282
$8,32810th
$18,28425th
$34,470Median
$53,33375th
$74,20590th
$63,282This org · 85th
p10$8,328
p25$18,284
p50$34,470
p75$53,333
p90$74,205
$63,282

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 KS 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
Fetching Tails Foundation IL$283,442 Secretary $48,000 $43,680 2024
New Hope Animal Rescue Nfp TX$283,776 Pres & Exec Dir $24,600 $22,778 2024
Emporia-greensville Humane Society VA$284,237 Treasurer $7,600 $6,792 2024
Colorado Wildlife Federation Inc CO$284,460 Executive Director $71,667 $63,610 2024
Great Whale Conservancy NC$282,560 President $36,667 $35,069 2024
Humane Society Of South Brevard Inc FL$284,819 President $20,308 $18,181 2023
One Love Arizona AZ$282,074 President $24,000 $21,996 2023
All About Elephantsinc FL$285,172 Director $8,050 $7,000 2024
Ollies Angels Animal Rescue Inc NY$285,326 Founder/president $43,295 $37,283 2023
Pigs Peace Sanctuary WA$285,356 President $28,800 $23,867 2024
Save-a-mutt WA$281,644 Executive Director $36,000 $30,715 2023
Fifty Shades Of Furr Inc MD$285,695 President $35,125 $30,397 2024
Council Of Contributors Inc MN$281,375 President / Executive Director $45,600 $41,707 2024
Furry Feet Rescue Inc PA$281,333 President $37,600 $34,708 2024
Small Lives Matter Kitten Rescue Inc FL$281,247 President $65,000 $56,522 2024
Barking Lot CA$286,118 Director $15,000 $12,343 2023
Global Conservation Force Inc CA$280,841 President $54,731 $43,746 2024
Second Chance Spca TX$286,402 Director Of Operations $43,400 $41,372 2023
Animal Education And Rescue Nfp IL$286,406 President $53,879 $49,030 2024
Granite State Dog Recovery NH$280,663 Director $50,000 $43,997 2023
Finding Forever Animal Rescue IL$280,462 President $70,640 $62,626 2025
4 Paws On Deck Inc CT$286,699 President $52,258 $46,694 2023
Paws-n-claws Iowa IA$280,303 President $3,500 $3,652 2023
Vermont Companion Animal Neutering Inc VT$286,892 President $70,000 $67,144 2023
Twin Cities Pet Rescue MN$286,893 Executive Director $32,000 $29,268 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to KS 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 KS 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 default85th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)80th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted75th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted83rd

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 (Jessica Norton) 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 574 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (D), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $63,282 is reasonable (approximately the 85th 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.