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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Denkai Animal Sanctuary

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 731706969
CO · NTEE D20
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Floss Blackburn, Executive Director / CEO ($34,747) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 421 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 33rd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Floss Blackburn — reported title “President”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

421 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 421 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$131 total compensation of comparable organizations → $352,840 $34,747
$12,68010th
$27,68225th
$46,919Median
$64,72875th
$82,51990th
$34,747This org · 33rd
p10$12,680
p25$27,682
p50$46,919
p75$64,728
p90$82,519
$34,747

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 CO 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
The Humane Society Of East Texas TX$479,258 Executive Di $1,500 $1,520 2024
Progressive Animal Welfare Society OH$481,137 Op. Man. Non $28,288 $30,349 2024
Mustang Heritage Foundation TN$483,027 Interim Executive Director $88,747 $94,495 2024
Camp Companion Inc MN$477,029 Executive Dir. $53,669 $55,305 2023
Almost Home Animal Rescue League MI$476,413 President $55,900 $60,173 2023
Marion County Humane Society WV$484,308 Shelter Director $38,547 $41,188 2025
The Ferndale Cat Shelter MI$484,446 Executive Di $48,836 $51,061 2024
Sunny Skys Animal Rescue And Hospital WA$475,506 President $27,942 $25,341 2024
Animal Refuge Foundation TX$475,195 Secretary $37,520 $38,019 2024
Primates Peru CA$485,879 Executive Director $128,154 $112,096 2024
Cozy Cat Cottage Adoption Center OH$486,692 Executive Di $51,950 $57,383 2023
New England Equine Rescue - North Inc MA$487,105 President $52,091 $47,417 2024
All About Equine Animal Rescue Inc CA$473,172 President $18,000 $16,210 2023
Alive Rescue Nfp IL$487,183 President $63,846 $65,460 2023
Macoupin County Adopt A Pet IL$472,529 Vp & Executive Director $23,400 $23,304 2024
Freedom For Great Apes Inc OR$472,184 Secretary $26,618 $25,779 2023
Sanaga-yong Chimpanzee Rescue OR$488,181 Exec Director/pres. $73,958 $69,572 2024
S Nipped OR$471,924 Vet Assist $39,076 $36,759 2024
Companion Animal Protection Society CA$471,804 President And Chair $52,176 $45,638 2024
Humane Society Of North Central Iow IA$489,931 Director $30,845 $34,211 2024
Chequamegon Humane Association WI$470,331 Executive Di $47,898 $50,672 2024
Foster Army Animal Rescue CA$490,035 Director $30,820 $26,958 2024
Columbus Dog Connection Inc OH$490,686 Executive Di $50,416 $54,091 2024
Rubys Rescue & Retreat Nfp IL$490,727 President $67,400 $67,121 2024
Sequoia Humane Society CA$491,278 Executive Director $34,484 $30,163 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to CO cost of living and 2023 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 CO 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 default33rd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)33rd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted34th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted33rd

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 (Floss Blackburn) 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 421 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $34,747 is reasonable (approximately the 33rd 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.