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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

American Forum

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 521281134
DC · NTEE W00C
FY ending 2024-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Denice Zeck, Executive Director / CEO ($83,038) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 114 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 89th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

114 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 114 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$58 total compensation of comparable organizations → $333,434 $83,038
$2,82410th
$9,72725th
$24,024Median
$49,74175th
$87,46490th
$83,038This org · 89th
p10$2,824
p25$9,727
p50$24,024
p75$49,741
p90$87,464
$83,038

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 DC 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
Bike Delaware DE$119,691 Executive Director $48,000 $53,559 2024
American Legion Post 87 NC$120,375 Finance Officer $2,200 $2,667 2023
State Review Of Oil And Natural Gas CO$120,382 Executive Di $81,000 $88,509 2024
The American Legion Northridge Post 746 Memorial Building Inc OH$120,835 Bartender $4,313 $5,072 2025
Veteran Business Project Inc IL$118,064 Ceo $72,500 $81,223 2024
Hershey Memorial Post 3502 Canteen PA$117,525 Canteen Mana $40,905 $47,858 2023
Codecycle-org CA$121,766 Executive Di $29,428 $28,958 2024
Heart Mind Foundation NC$114,709 President $429 $505 2024
Gen Richard G Stillwell Korean War VA$114,696 President $100,000 $110,030 2024
Hand In Hand Partnership AL$125,038 Secretary And Treasurer $67,084 $85,027 2023
Loving Our Cities Inc NJ$125,043 President $60,000 $61,047 2024
American Legion Post 234 IN$125,706 Commander $9,809 $12,136 2023
Water Resources Association Of The PA$111,947 Executive Dir. $86,869 $101,635 2023
American Legion Whitestown Post 1113 NY$127,346 Service Officer $58,425 $60,163 2024
Louisiana National Guard Enlisted Association LA$127,680 Executive Director $7,400 $9,560 2023
Myna Mahila Usa Inc MD$127,851 Operations Officer $9,600 $10,228 2024
American Legion Post 12 VT$109,920 Finance Offi $15,000 $17,205 2024
Servicemen's Club Inc MN$108,950 Club Manager $40,062 $46,443 2023
Delaware Family Policy Council Inc DE$108,525 President & Executive Director $35,041 $39,099 2024
Lebaron Post Home Association PA$107,789 Director $4,700 $5,499 2023
Cecil Field Powmia Memorial Inc FL$107,335 Director $10,408 $11,142 2024
Ellicottville Memorial Post 65 NY$107,216 Commander $11,349 $12,031 2023
Sky Lakes Water Supply Corporation TX$133,526 Treasurer $6,000 $6,840 2024
Vermont Asylum Assistance Project Inc VT$134,767 President $10,000 $11,470 2024
Warriors Rock PA$135,753 Secretary $40,800 $46,366 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to DC 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 DC 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 default89th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)92nd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted89th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted77th

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 (Denice Zeck) 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 114 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (W), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $83,038 is reasonable (approximately the 89th 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.