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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Ironworkers 549 Joint Apprentice Training Fund

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 550603515
WV · NTEE J22
FY ending 2024-03-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Kelly Dierkes, Executive Director / CEO ($64,084) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 85 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 41st percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

85 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 85 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$2,847 total compensation of comparable organizations → $193,472 $64,084
$20,23810th
$47,61725th
$69,717Median
$85,99075th
$114,11090th
$64,084This org · 41st
p10$20,238
p25$47,617
p50$69,717
p75$85,990
p90$114,110
$64,084

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 WV 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
Torch 180 MI$405,826 President $63,250 $60,296 2024
Conexion Inc MA$404,349 Executive Director $137,960 $114,499 2024
Attleboro Area School To Career MA$401,358 Executive Direc $25,568 $20,673 2025
United Methodist College VA$412,993 Dean And Exec Director $105,060 $91,273 2025
Reach Out First Inc NC$394,049 Executive Director $71,366 $68,105 2024
Young Leaders Council TN$388,792 Executive Director $88,250 $85,674 2024
Uaw Center For Manufacturing A Green CA$422,693 Executive Dir. $59,707 $47,617 2024
Puzzle Piece Pastries GA$422,873 Director $49,831 $46,275 2024
Propel Network Inc NY$381,193 Educational Consulant $83,000 $69,270 2024
Urban Ed Inc DC$379,011 President $106,855 $86,603 2024
Heartfelt Tidbits Inc OH$378,304 Executive Di $80,500 $78,746 2024
Southwest Alabama Workforce AL$441,919 Executive Di $199,033 $193,472 2025
Technical Training & Safety ND$442,568 Exec Directo $85,696 $84,618 2025
New Century Foundation VA$443,191 President $81,424 $74,755 2023
Lafayette Electrical Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee IN$444,967 Training Coordinator $70,005 $68,183 2024
Jobs Of Hope Inc CO$446,303 Executive Director $65,849 $60,038 2023
United Plant & Production Workers NY$448,179 Fund Admin $92,072 $79,111 2023
Plumbers & Pipefitters Apprenticeship WY$450,707 Training Director $195,160 $193,011 2024
Chicago Center For Arts And Technology IL$359,049 Sr. Dir. Of Edu. Excellence $168,628 $153,112 2024
Michigan Indian Employment And MI$356,915 Executive Director $79,830 $78,349 2023
Homeaid Austin Inc TX$454,432 Executive Director $90,017 $83,164 2024
Bricklayers Local 1 Md Va & Dc MD$351,202 Vice Chairman $39,290 $33,925 2024
Sheet Metal Contracting Industry PA$348,144 Trustee $76,513 $70,470 2024
Youths Unleashed Corp FL$347,605 Vice President $45,000 $39,043 2024
Local 470 Apprenticeship Fund SC$346,177 Training Director/trustee $61,473 $59,230 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 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 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.

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 default41st
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)36th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted0th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted96th

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 (Kelly Dierkes) 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 85 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (J22), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $64,084 is reasonable (approximately the 41st 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.