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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Cedar Cove Feline Conservation Park

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 481186674
KS · NTEE D500
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Steve Klein, Executive Director / CEO ($19,004) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 389 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 31st percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Steve Klein — reported title “President”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

389 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 389 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$844 total compensation of comparable organizations → $519,674 $19,004
$6,99310th
$15,60725th
$29,404Median
$47,79675th
$66,51290th
$19,004This org · 31st
p10$6,993
p25$15,607
p50$29,404
p75$47,796
p90$66,512
$19,004

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
Northern Colorado Friends Of Ferals CO$197,819 President $26,500 $22,846 2024
Dolphin Communication Project Inc FL$197,861 President $12,800 $10,532 2025
International Veterinary Outreach CA$198,080 Board Chair Chief Program Officer $42,500 $33,970 2023
Saving Our Sharks Foundation Inc PA$197,171 Treasurer - Former $13,500 $12,104 2024
Barbara Grannan Carie Feline IN$198,214 President $23,500 $22,281 2024
Animal Welfare Coalition Of Northeastern New Mexico NM$198,544 Office Assistant $21,558 $20,847 2024
Kotzebue Dog Mushers Association AK$196,696 President $3,750 $3,223 2024
Hope Lives Here TX$196,111 President $43,219 $38,869 2024
Give Me Shelter Cat Rescue CA$195,795 Executive Director $36,000 $27,949 2024
Glory Bound Rescue Ranch IL$195,165 President $12,403 $10,963 2024
Catalyst Council Inc MD$195,070 Executive Director $182,842 $158,229 2023
For Hanks Sake KY$194,714 President $8,000 $7,956 2023
Xii Northeast Fishery Sector Inc MA$194,247 Treasurer $2,500 $2,020 2024
Southeast Alaska Indiginous Transboundary Commissi AK$193,997 Director $50,717 $44,882 2023
Pawsitive Alliance WA$201,555 Executive Director $32,227 $26,707 2023
Ohana Preservation Foundation VA$193,577 Secretary/pr $52,751 $47,146 2023
Panama City Beach FL$201,772 President $15,457 $13,056 2024
Animal Services Of Richmond Inc VA$193,278 President $60,195 $56,005 2022
Puppy Hill Farm Animal Rescue Inc FL$202,073 Executive Director $46,827 $39,551 2024
Equine Rescue League Foundation Inc VA$202,094 Vice President $11,700 $10,457 2023
Shots For Spays CA$202,340 Chief Medical Officer $4,400 $3,328 2025
South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation TX$192,515 Executive Director $41,651 $38,566 2023
Karma Cat & Zen Dog Rescue Society NJ$192,364 Executive Director $17,800 $14,711 2023
Angels Helping Animals Worldwide Inc MA$191,679 President $35,850 $28,964 2024
International Institute For Animal Law Inc IL$191,470 Director $114,000 $100,765 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 2023 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 default31st
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)29th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted32nd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted30th

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 (Steve Klein) 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 389 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (D), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $19,004 is reasonable (approximately the 31st 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.