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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Department Of Sc Vfw Of United States

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 570279614
SC · NTEE W30
FY ending 2025-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of John S Johnson, Executive Director / CEO ($56,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 82 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 55th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: John S Johnson — reported title “SERVICE OFFICER”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

82 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 82 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$854 total compensation of comparable organizations → $592,856 $56,000
$10,63110th
$20,55925th
$48,429Median
$76,91475th
$99,80990th
$56,000This org · 55th
p10$10,631
p25$20,559
p50$48,429
p75$76,914
p90$99,809
$56,000

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 SC 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
Newby-ginnings Of North Idaho Inc ID$401,878 Executive Director $52,000 $56,034 2023
It's About The Warriors Foundation PA$415,009 Executive Director/president/secretary $85,980 $84,363 2024
Outdoor Association For True Heroes Inc TX$391,677 Founder, Executive Directo $96,000 $94,485 2024
Honoring Our Fallen CA$390,886 Ceo\founder $78,667 $66,836 2024
Friends Of Fisher House - Illinois Inc IL$419,182 President $45,000 $43,529 2024
Lake Belton Vfw 10377 TX$384,655 Quartermaster $14,400 $13,807 2025
Independence For Veterans Inc NJ$383,925 President $73,517 $66,490 2023
Hesperus AZ$381,890 Executive Director $86,154 $81,523 2024
American Freedom Foundation FL$378,457 President $132,509 $126,096 2023
Advocate DC$377,801 Officer $441,381 $381,093 2024
Veterans Ride For Free CT$376,888 Secretary $18,200 $16,790 2024
Vetgroup Inc NJ$376,568 Executive Dir. $51,491 $46,570 2023
American Legion Walter Graham Post 332 IL$432,360 Manager $43,428 $42,008 2024
Veteran Community Initiatives Inc PA$375,086 President $66,575 $65,322 2024
Heroes Linked CA$373,514 Ceo $154,418 $131,195 2024
Returning Veterans Project OR$435,384 Executive Dir. $109,882 $100,401 2024
National Memorial Of Military IL$436,890 Secretary $10,800 $10,447 2024
Saratoga Warhorse Foundation Inc NY$439,809 Executive Di $155,357 $142,206 2023
Roslyn Vfw Home Association PA$440,300 Bar Manager Board Member $39,600 $40,002 2023
Special Ops Xcursions TN$366,586 President $55,000 $56,882 2024
Sinking Spring Veterans Home Association PA$362,972 Treasurer $24,850 $25,103 2023
Liet Harold R Cornwall Post 1298 KY$447,276 Quartermaster $6,500 $7,074 2023
Mckinney-montgomery Post 141 OK$358,425 Finance Officer $24,788 $26,856 2024
The Mandatum Foundation VA$355,534 Lead Coach $14,500 $13,775 2024
Leroy O Buck Post No 7863 Vfw Inc PA$354,076 Employee $46,717 $44,657 2025

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to SC 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 SC 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 default55th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)57th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted56th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted54th

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 (John S Johnson) 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 82 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (W30), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $56,000 is reasonable (approximately the 55th 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.