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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Jacob's Ladder Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 541717138
VA · NTEE O20
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Catherine Coggeshall, Executive Director / CEO ($78,074) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 98 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 69th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

98 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 98 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$77 total compensation of comparable organizations → $184,414 $78,074
$19,63310th
$41,05025th
$62,181Median
$81,00375th
$101,42690th
$78,074This org · 69th
p10$19,633
p25$41,050
p50$62,181
p75$81,003
p90$101,426
$78,074

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
Neighborhood House Community Center WI$427,308 Executive Di $55,521 $61,827 2023
North Jefferson Junior Baseball Assoc CO$426,498 Scheduler $12,915 $13,204 2023
Westminster At Wade Inc WV$425,679 Director $33,840 $37,948 2024
Davis Forest School CA$425,661 Director $48,872 $43,707 2024
Enid Spca OK$430,887 Executive Di $22,880 $26,093 2024
Yachats Youth & Family OR$422,414 Executive Di $67,129 $64,564 2024
The Healing Word Counseling Center TN$418,766 Administrator/counselor $27,000 $29,394 2024
Southwest Indiana Powerhouse Inc IN$418,746 Executive Di $96,000 $104,850 2024
Fore La Kids Inc CA$438,407 Founder $18,750 $16,768 2024
Wadena County Humane Society MN$415,057 Director Of $65,000 $68,484 2023
Shemilah Outreach Center IL$414,000 Executive Director $74,000 $77,573 2023
Carmel Youth Center Inc CA$441,773 Executive Dir $87,432 $78,192 2024
Sisters Of Watts CA$411,975 Ceo $27,200 $24,325 2024
North End Youth Center Inc IL$443,510 President $99,213 $101,019 2024
Positive Attitude Youth Center Inc NC$446,069 Executive Di $70,000 $74,910 2024
The Well Community Youth Center Of Waco TX$408,237 Director $42,262 $43,784 2024
Choices Inc MA$448,576 President $46,164 $44,234 2023
Tenth Life Cat Rescue MO$448,600 Executive Director $65,600 $71,960 2024
Meridian Police Activities League ID$404,927 Executive Director $45,833 $50,497 2024
Cleveland Police Athletic League OH$452,059 Executive Di $38,700 $42,452 2024
Pack Away Hunger Inc IN$452,957 Executive Di $32,333 $35,314 2024
Harmony Project Tulsa OK$399,525 Executive Dir. $116,192 $132,509 2024
Akeley Regional Community Center MN$455,371 Executive Dir. $67,057 $70,652 2023
Axis Teen Centers OH$457,230 Executive Director $80,000 $87,756 2024
Ontario Youth Sports Inc OH$458,198 Executive Di $74,000 $81,174 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 default69th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)71st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted64th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted68th

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 (Catherine Coggeshall) 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 98 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (O20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $78,074 is reasonable (approximately the 69th 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.