Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Don Newman, Executive Director / CEO ($33,265) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 183 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 91st percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended
Benchmarked executive: Don Newman — reported title “FIRE CHIEF”, 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 WV 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Dept | ND | $307,857 | Secretary | $1,200 | $1,182 | 2024 |
| Amity Community Volunteer Fire | IN | $308,429 | Board Member | $1,950 | $1,845 | 2024 |
| Fountain Rural Fire Association Inc | NC | $306,965 | President | $156 | $149 | 2023 |
| State Firemens And Fire Marshals | TX | $309,675 | Exec Director | $16,807 | $15,527 | 2023 |
| Eldridge Volunteer Fire Co Inc | IA | $306,212 | President | $2,140 | $2,102 | 2024 |
| Mountain View Volunteer Fire | NC | $310,079 | Chief | $1,186 | $1,071 | 2025 |
| Southwest Ranches Volunteer Fire Rescue Inc | FL | $310,895 | President Fire Chief | $19,800 | $16,686 | 2024 |
| The Voluntown Volunteer Fire Company | CT | $311,097 | President | $12,448 | $10,470 | 2024 |
| Morrisvale Volunteer Fire Department Inc | WV | $304,798 | Treasurer | $6,000 | $5,678 | 2025 |
| C B S Fire Association | IA | $304,432 | Treasurer | $285 | $280 | 2024 |
| Clintonville Volunteer Fire | PA | $311,761 | Treasurer | $3,000 | $2,763 | 2023 |
| Savannah Volunteer Fire Company | OH | $312,384 | Chief | $16,020 | $15,221 | 2024 |
| East Mead Volunteer Fire Company No 1 | PA | $312,458 | Manager Of Operations | $38,675 | $35,621 | 2023 |
| Sellersburg Vol Fire Dept | IN | $303,586 | Board Member | $65,943 | $62,384 | 2024 |
| Three Oaks Emergency Vehicle Association | MI | $303,482 | Administrator/director | $82,286 | $76,192 | 2024 |
| International Assoc Of Fire Fighte | CT | $302,461 | Board Member | $7,000 | $5,888 | 2024 |
| Cooleemee Volunteer Fire Department | NC | $314,024 | President | $15,911 | $14,749 | 2024 |
| Clarendon Fire Company Inc | NY | $301,735 | President | $500 | $406 | 2024 |
| Town Of Carlton Fire Company No 1 Inc | NY | $301,023 | President | $480 | $389 | 2024 |
| Penderlea Fire Department | NC | $300,834 | Assistant Chief | $175 | $162 | 2024 |
| Factoryville Fire Company | PA | $299,732 | Treasurer | $3,600 | $3,316 | 2023 |
| Potsdam Volunteer Fire Department | NY | $316,461 | Warden | $300 | $237 | 2025 |
| Watford City Volunteer Fire Dept | ND | $299,429 | Chief | $10,892 | $11,040 | 2023 |
| Belle Plaine Fire Department | MN | $317,279 | President | $600 | $532 | 2024 |
| Kings Park Fire Department Inc | NY | $318,169 | Secretary | $6,000 | $4,864 | 2024 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to WV 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 WV 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 | 91st |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 89th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 91st |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 89th |
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.