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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Enlisted Assoc Of Natl Guard O

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 581329217
TN · NTEE W30
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Melissa Messin, Executive Director / CEO ($41,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 81 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 67th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Melissa Messin — reported title “Exec Asst”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

81 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 81 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,256 total compensation of comparable organizations → $573,236 $41,000
$3,77010th
$13,66225th
$29,903Median
$51,30175th
$75,10790th
$41,000This org · 67th
p10$3,770
p25$13,662
p50$29,903
p75$51,301
p90$75,107
$41,000

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 TN 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
Watson & Black American Legion Post 126 PA$242,753 Manager $19,624 $19,168 2023
Armed Forces Services Center MN$240,858 Executive Di $48,677 $44,579 2025
Amigo Air Sho Inc TX$250,000 Ceo $30,707 $29,222 2024
Burn Pits 360 TX$239,581 Director $60,000 $57,099 2024
Dunham House Inc NE$239,278 Executive Director $110,000 $112,555 2024
American Legion Post 233 IL$250,649 Manager $43,705 $40,877 2024
Patriot Military Family Foundation NC$250,832 Executive Director $19,500 $19,735 2023
Warrior Strong Inc PA$236,873 President $75,385 $71,519 2024
Lake County Honor Flight IL$234,502 Executive Director $28,680 $27,616 2023
Mattersville CO$255,780 President & Ceo $11,500 $10,801 2023
American Legion Post #144 MI$256,579 Office Manager $30,913 $30,355 2024
Utah Veterans Alliance UT$258,394 President $46,600 $45,374 2024
Joint Service Special Operations MT$258,941 Executive Di $40,000 $41,020 2024
South Dade Womens Veterans Alliance Inc FL$229,790 Ceo/executive Director $65,936 $58,928 2024
Lutheran Military Veterans IN$227,755 Executive Di $62,385 $62,588 2024
American Legion Post 13 AK$226,785 Manager $33,600 $31,463 2023
Knott Alone--hold Fast VA$225,184 Ceo $16,197 $14,878 2024
Veterans Of Foreign Wars MN$224,089 Quartermast $9,705 $9,393 2023
Veterans Of Foreign Wars Department DE$266,283 Service Offi $60,000 $54,450 2025
Bourn Free Foundation NV$267,799 Cfo Treasure $9,000 $8,582 2024
Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 614 NM$221,500 Commander $12,301 $12,262 2025
Paralyzed Veterans Of America North Cent SD$268,925 Executive Director - Left 08/2024 $86,077 $90,376 2024
Veterans Of Foreign Wars CA$216,406 Commander $2,020 $1,659 2024
New Hampshire Veterans Association NH$280,385 President $1,950 $1,713 2024
Veterans Of Foreign Wars Of The United PA$281,123 Treasurer/secretary $54,074 $51,301 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to TN 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 TN 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 default67th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)63rd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted68th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted67th

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 (Melissa Messin) 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 81 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (W30), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $41,000 is reasonable (approximately the 67th 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.