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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Leadership Charlotte

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 561684782
NC · NTEE A99Z
FY ending 2025-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Elizabeth Mckee, Executive Director / CEO ($111,405) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 101 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 92nd percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended

Benchmarked executive: Elizabeth Mckee — reported title “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

101 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 101 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$2,969 total compensation of comparable organizations → $280,100 $111,405
$13,30910th
$37,37325th
$61,086Median
$80,02675th
$106,12390th
$111,405This org · 92nd
p10$13,309
p25$37,373
p50$61,086
p75$80,026
p90$106,123
$111,405

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 NC 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
Drumming For Your Life Institute CA$473,746 President $51,200 $45,217 2023
The Word A Storytelling Sanctuary Inc CO$470,305 Exec Dir $85,000 $78,881 2025
Mosaic Multicultural Foundation WA$467,330 Vice President $119,319 $106,123 2024
American Women Artists TN$464,067 Executive Director Until 11/08/2024 $34,975 $35,580 2025
Side Street Projects CA$463,757 Executive Director $76,076 $65,259 2024
The Story Collider Inc NY$461,809 Executive Dir. $97,565 $87,581 2024
Chicago City Theatre Company IL$483,107 Managing Director $60,150 $58,744 2024
Arizona Band & Orchestra Directors Association AZ$483,424 Executive Director $66,867 $62,237 2025
O Positive Festival Inc NY$483,742 Director Of Operations $73,496 $65,976 2024
Women Wonder Writers CA$460,237 Lead Instructor $42,317 $37,373 2023
Line 4 Line LA$485,739 Executive Di $60,063 $65,702 2024
Art Jewelry Forum VA$490,096 Executive Director $45,497 $43,640 2024
San Angelo Broadway Academy Youth TX$450,310 President $53,235 $52,901 2024
San Francisco Classical Voice CA$494,641 Exec Director $121,000 $103,795 2024
Youth Outreach And Learning Institute CA$497,001 Castro $35,160 $30,160 2024
Sutter County Parent Network CA$444,405 Co-executive Director $56,264 $48,264 2024
Lehi Arts Council UT$443,321 President $12,000 $12,201 2024
Better Business Bureau Serving The CA$501,477 Secretary/coo $48,259 $41,397 2024
Sculpturetucsonorg Inc AZ$442,026 Executive Director $10,000 $9,554 2024
Minnesota Fringe Festival MN$502,542 Executive Director $72,461 $71,128 2024
Ramsey County Library Friends MN$504,753 Ex Dir - Jul $30,729 $30,164 2024
Outlinc Inc NE$439,338 Executive Director $69,216 $76,140 2023
Arts Connect International Inc MA$438,544 Co-director $72,808 $66,915 2023
D3 Arts CO$437,977 Executive Dir. $75,000 $71,442 2024
Open Space For Arts & Community WA$509,476 Executive Director $81,053 $72,090 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to NC cost of living and 2025 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 NC 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 default92nd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)89th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted93rd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted89th

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 (Elizabeth Mckee) 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 101 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A99), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $111,405 is reasonable (approximately the 92nd 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.