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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

German American Business Assoc Of Calif

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 562313037
CA · NTEE S41
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Jeannet Kiessling, Executive Director / CEO ($48,692) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 41 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 29th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

41 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 41 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,948 total compensation of comparable organizations → $250,000 $48,692
$12,73310th
$40,15225th
$71,538Median
$92,65875th
$130,23690th
$48,692This org · 29th
p10$12,733
p25$40,152
p50$71,538
p75$92,658
p90$130,236
$48,692

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 CA 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
United Vegetable Growers Cooperative CA$225,143 Ceo $250,000 $250,000 2024
Western Medical Center CA$223,931 Chief Of Staff $60,000 $61,772 2023
Secure Water Alliance CA$230,595 Executive Dir. $90,000 $92,658 2023
Ccidc Inc CA$232,400 Executive Dir. $84,000 $84,000 2024
Hemet San Jacinto Valley Chamber Of CA$235,344 Executive Dir. $68,577 $68,577 2024
Lakeshore Avenue Business Improvement CA$235,378 Co-director $14,356 $14,356 2024
Culver City Arts District CA$216,320 Executive Dir. $12,368 $12,733 2023
Sonoma Alliance For Vineyards And CA$212,922 Executive Dir. $86,996 $89,566 2023
Lake Forest Chamber Of Commerce Inc CA$240,795 Ceo $62,385 $62,385 2024
Black Business Association Of La CA$210,410 President $49,500 $50,962 2023
Mountain Counties Water CA$209,216 Executive Dir. $102,000 $105,013 2023
Medical Staff Of Southwest Healthcare CA$244,802 Chief Of Staff $39,000 $40,152 2023
Fishermans Wharf Association CA$206,829 President & Ceo $12,000 $12,000 2024
Oakland Vietnamese Chamber Of Commerce CA$206,602 Executive Director $75,000 $75,000 2024
Medical Staff Of Doctors Medical Center CA$247,482 Chief Of Staff $48,000 $49,418 2023
National Association Of Wine Retailers CA$247,521 Executive Director $79,175 $79,175 2024
North Coast Fishermens Cable Committee CA$201,795 President $4,319 $4,319 2024
Phcc Educational Foundation CA$252,617 Ceo $13,059 $13,445 2023
The Village At Sherman Oaks Inc CA$198,810 Executive Director $12,000 $12,354 2023
China Enterprise Council CA$253,683 Director $39,000 $40,152 2023
Sandplay Therapists Of America CA$255,631 Journal Editor $14,000 $14,000 2024
Pomerado Hospital Medical Staff CA$194,837 Past Chief Of Staff $62,000 $63,831 2023
Novato Downtown Old Town Business CA$258,312 Executive Dir. $78,624 $78,624 2024
Wine Artisans Of Santa Lucia Highlands CA$189,600 Executive Dir. $101,750 $101,750 2024
Alameda Health System Medical Staff CA$265,796 Chief Of Staff $18,750 $18,750 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to CA 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 CA 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 default29th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)32nd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted29th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted27th

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 (Jeannet Kiessling) 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 41 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (S41) + CA + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $48,692 is reasonable (approximately the 29th 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.