Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Michael J Little, Executive Director / CEO ($78,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 81 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 83rd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range
Benchmarked executive: Michael J Little — reported title “Executive Dir.”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.
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 IL cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.
| Organization | State | Revenue | Matched title | Comp (reported) | Comp (adjusted) | FY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Legion | NY | $301,875 | Commander | $2,100 | $1,875 | 2024 |
| Marineparentscom Inc | MO | $301,967 | President | $82,551 | $86,385 | 2024 |
| Minnesota Association Of County Veterans | MN | $302,004 | Executive Director | $64,350 | $62,822 | 2024 |
| George N Althouse Memorial Association | PA | $299,782 | Vice President | $14,400 | $14,188 | 2024 |
| American Legion Post 159 | VA | $305,205 | Vice Commander | $29,608 | $29,079 | 2023 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 629 | WV | $307,683 | Manager | $29,030 | $31,054 | 2024 |
| Operation Rebuild Hope | OR | $309,385 | Coo | $37,600 | $34,498 | 2024 |
| 82d Airborne Division Association Inc | NC | $310,900 | Executive Director | $65,500 | $66,866 | 2024 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars Of The Us Dpt Of Virginia | VA | $311,633 | Quartermaster | $28,600 | $26,579 | 2025 |
| The Navigation Center Fka Military | SC | $290,266 | Executive Di | $54,253 | $55,919 | 2024 |
| National Guard Association Of | MN | $289,665 | Executive Di | $25,200 | $24,601 | 2024 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars Dept Vfw Ky | KY | $314,084 | Quartermaster | $31,000 | $32,057 | 2025 |
| Texas National Guard Family Support Foundation | TX | $317,202 | Executive Director/grant Manager | $28,806 | $28,469 | 2024 |
| The Heroes Project | CA | $285,068 | Director | $697,799 | $595,314 | 2024 |
| Honor Bell Foundation Inc | CO | $319,693 | Executive Di | $43,541 | $41,249 | 2024 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 8794 | OH | $282,624 | Chaplain | $48,288 | $49,228 | 2025 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars Of The United | PA | $281,123 | Treasurer/secretary | $54,074 | $53,277 | 2024 |
| New Hampshire Veterans Association | NH | $280,385 | President | $1,950 | $1,779 | 2024 |
| Midwest Region Laborers Veterans | IL | $324,882 | Legislative Director | $139,724 | $135,715 | 2024 |
| American Legion Post 286 Inc | FL | $326,398 | Past Command | $18,820 | $17,017 | 2025 |
| Department Of Illinois Vfw Auxiliary Inc | IL | $326,983 | Secretary | $14,600 | $14,600 | 2023 |
| Paralyzed Veterans Of America North Cent | SD | $268,925 | Executive Director - Left 08/2024 | $86,077 | $93,856 | 2024 |
| Bourn Free Foundation | NV | $267,799 | Cfo Treasure | $9,000 | $8,913 | 2024 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars Department | DE | $266,283 | Service Offi | $60,000 | $56,547 | 2025 |
| Vallejo Veterans Building Council | CA | $340,530 | Building Manager | $22,500 | $19,762 | 2023 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to IL cost of living and 2023 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.
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 IL 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.
Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:
| Basis | Subject percentile |
|---|---|
| Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default | 83rd |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 81st |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 84th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 83rd |
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.
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
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.