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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Humane Society-spca Of Nelson

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 541266821
VA · NTEE D200
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 10, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Deena M Hambsch, Executive Director / CEO ($4,497) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 428 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 4th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Deena M Hambsch — reported title “PRESIDENT”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

428 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 428 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$131 total compensation of comparable organizations → $350,404 $4,497
$12,81710th
$28,17825th
$47,862Median
$65,08075th
$82,61690th
$4,497This org · 4th
p10$12,817
p25$28,178
p50$47,862
p75$65,080
p90$82,616
$4,497

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
Red Door Animal Shelter IL$492,442 President $25,250 $25,710 2023
Center For Animal Research & TX$491,943 Exec. Dir. $36,435 $36,664 2024
The Aska's Animals Foundation Inc ID$491,587 President $12,000 $12,842 2024
Cat Lounge Rescue And Adoption Center CA$493,501 Executive Director - Intake Manager $105,700 $91,817 2024
Sequoia Humane Society CA$491,278 Executive Director $34,484 $29,955 2024
Rubys Rescue & Retreat Nfp IL$490,727 President $67,400 $66,657 2024
Columbus Dog Connection Inc OH$490,686 Executive Di $50,416 $53,718 2024
Humane Society At Lakewood Ranch Inc FL$494,430 Shelter Director $48,757 $46,077 2024
Foster Army Animal Rescue CA$490,035 Director $30,820 $26,772 2024
Humane Society Of North Central Iow IA$489,931 Director $30,845 $33,975 2024
Sanaga-yong Chimpanzee Rescue OR$488,181 Exec Director/pres. $73,958 $69,092 2024
Alive Rescue Nfp IL$487,183 President $63,846 $65,008 2023
New England Equine Rescue - North Inc MA$487,105 President $52,091 $47,090 2024
Heart Of Horse Sense NC$498,075 Executive Director $61,754 $64,189 2024
Cozy Cat Cottage Adoption Center OH$486,692 Executive Di $51,950 $56,987 2023
600 Million Stray Dogs FL$498,330 Ceo, President $43,030 $40,664 2024
Franklin County Animal Shelter ME$498,909 Board Member $43,072 $43,387 2024
Primates Peru CA$485,879 Executive Director $128,154 $111,322 2024
The Ferndale Cat Shelter MI$484,446 Executive Di $48,836 $50,708 2024
Marion County Humane Society WV$484,308 Shelter Director $38,547 $40,903 2025
A Home 4 Spot NV$501,355 President $80,358 $81,030 2024
The Pegasus Project Inc TX$501,762 President/ed $129,800 $130,616 2024
Mustang Heritage Foundation TN$483,027 Interim Executive Director $88,747 $93,843 2024
For The Love Of Dogs Vermont Ltd VT$501,861 Director $15,688 $15,885 2024
Castaway Animals Rescue Effort MO$502,340 Executive Direc $47,555 $50,669 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 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 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 default4th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)4th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted5th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted4th

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 (Deena M Hambsch) 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 10, 2026, comparing compensation against 428 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $4,497 is reasonable (approximately the 4th 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 10, 2026.