Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Steve Mcdonald, Executive Director / CEO ($1,669) against the 2000 closest of 2,981 comparable organizations — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 1st percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations
Benchmarked executive: Steve Mcdonald — reported title “PRESIDENT/DI”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.
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 FL cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.
| Organization | State | Revenue | Matched title | Comp (reported) | Comp (adjusted) | FY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance | PA | $456,529 | Executive Director | $172,849 | $193,904 | 2023 |
| Operation Song Inc | TN | $456,425 | Current Executive Director/former Board Member | $71,808 | $84,909 | 2023 |
| Exodus Ensemble | NM | $456,258 | Executive Di | $38,595 | $46,696 | 2023 |
| The Current Media Inc | LA | $457,162 | Director | $54,583 | $65,672 | 2024 |
| Saguaro City Music Theatre | AZ | $457,185 | Managing Director | $3,000 | $3,152 | 2024 |
| Art House Inc | OH | $457,186 | Executive Di | $57,250 | $66,255 | 2024 |
| Hbcu First Inc | NY | $457,238 | Chairman Of | $120,000 | $118,482 | 2024 |
| Creative Arts Center In Chatham Inc | MA | $456,071 | Executive Di | $96,453 | $94,704 | 2024 |
| Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble | OR | $457,269 | Board Member | $43,250 | $43,885 | 2024 |
| Triangle Youth Ballet | NC | $456,035 | Pres/artistic Director | $28,770 | $32,481 | 2024 |
| Auricle Productions | NY | $457,392 | Executive Dir. | $86,304 | $87,729 | 2023 |
| Topa Institute | CA | $457,437 | Ceo | $109,298 | $103,123 | 2024 |
| The Legacy Imperative Inc | FL | $455,872 | Executive Director | $106,811 | $109,637 | 2024 |
| Portland Revels | OR | $457,516 | Executive Director | $60,000 | $59,312 | 2025 |
| So'oh Shinali Sister Project | CA | $457,523 | Executive Director | $67,959 | $64,119 | 2024 |
| Lane County Historical Society | OR | $455,705 | Co-executive Director | $54,093 | $56,509 | 2023 |
| Torrance Cultural Arts Center | CA | $457,647 | Executive Director | $101,435 | $95,704 | 2024 |
| Florida Agricultural Museum Inc | FL | $457,704 | Executive Dir. | $56,000 | $59,180 | 2023 |
| Batavia Artists Association Nfp Inc | IL | $457,708 | Fmr Exec Direct | $28,625 | $30,749 | 2024 |
| Pierre Monteux Memorial Foundation | ME | $457,727 | Executive Di | $37,000 | $40,482 | 2024 |
| Shakespeare Association Of America | MS | $455,594 | Executive Director | $35,724 | $43,474 | 2024 |
| The Elm Shakespeare Company | CT | $455,494 | Producing Artistic Directo | $79,711 | $81,662 | 2024 |
| Austin Scottish Rite Community And | TX | $457,853 | Executive Dir. | $58,200 | $63,612 | 2024 |
| Masspoetry Inc | MA | $457,856 | Executive Di | $90,157 | $88,522 | 2024 |
| Inlet Dance Theatre | OH | $455,443 | Executiveartistic Director | $60,498 | $70,014 | 2024 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to FL cost of living and 2025 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.
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 FL 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.
Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:
| Basis | Subject percentile |
|---|---|
| Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default | 1st |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 1st |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 3rd |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 1st |
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.
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
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 13, 2026.