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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

South Central Fair Association Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 540299803
VA · NTEE N52I
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Marilyn Mccluster, Executive Director / CEO ($7,560) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 43 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 26th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Marilyn Mccluster — reported title “Secretary/Manager”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

43 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 43 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$491 total compensation of comparable organizations → $107,225 $7,560
$3,75110th
$6,62925th
$18,377Median
$56,75275th
$74,95990th
$7,560This org · 26th
p10$3,751
p25$6,629
p50$18,377
p75$56,752
p90$74,959
$7,560

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 VA 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
The Village Halloween Parade Inc NY$376,437 Executive Director $60,000 $57,811 2023
Culinaria TX$355,678 Ceo $75,350 $78,063 2024
Beltrami County Agricultural Assoc MN$379,462 Facilities Manager $14,421 $14,377 2025
Shelby County Fair Association Inc IN$347,163 President $450 $491 2024
Meade County Fair Inc KY$386,029 Co Sec./trea $4,500 $5,007 2024
Waseca County Agricultural Society MN$344,150 Sec/treasurer $9,500 $9,722 2024
Harinam Festivals Inc NC$340,348 Treasurer $7,200 $7,705 2024
Pennsylvania State Association Of County Fairs PA$397,487 General Manager $1,200 $1,239 2024
Southwest Alaska Arts Group AK$398,956 Director $65,398 $64,755 2024
Nolan County Livestock Association TX$331,830 Executive Dir. $9,600 $9,946 2024
Southeast Alaska State Fair Inc AK$402,318 Interim Executive Director $44,650 $44,211 2024
Swift County Fair Association MN$404,547 Secretary $3,500 $3,490 2025
Native Foods Education Organiz OH$323,232 Chairperson $15,250 $17,222 2023
Warren County Fair Association VA$417,733 Treasurer $41,698 $41,698 2024
Upper Missouri Valley Fair Association ND$421,613 Director $4,500 $5,115 2024
San Diego Fleet Week Foundation CA$422,579 Vice Pres. Coo $75,000 $69,055 2023
Grand Street District Management Association Inc NY$429,538 Executive Director $74,126 $69,373 2024
Festivals Of Cedarburg Inc WI$303,185 Executive Director $45,661 $50,848 2023
Monona County Fair Association IA$302,820 Secretary $4,800 $5,443 2024
Uil Region Xv Music Executive Committee TX$296,921 Executive Sec. $40,596 $42,058 2024
Pridefest WA$294,584 Executive Director $54,375 $50,420 2024
Crow Wing County Fair MN$442,272 Accountant $8,800 $9,006 2024
Skamania County Fairboard Inc WA$444,406 Treasurer $1,200 $1,113 2024
Nebraska State Fair 1868 Foundation NE$448,285 Executive Di $96,258 $107,225 2024
Otsego County Fair MI$449,768 Treasurer Ex $9,600 $10,262 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to VA 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 VA 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 default26th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)30th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted26th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted26th

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 (Marilyn Mccluster) 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 43 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (N52), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $7,560 is reasonable (approximately the 26th 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.