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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Buffalo Springs Lake Volunteer

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 751837275
TX · NTEE M24
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of John Keys, Executive Director / CEO ($2,772) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 189 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 43rd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

189 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 189 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$25 total compensation of comparable organizations → $134,974 $2,772
$45210th
$1,27925th
$4,019Median
$15,79275th
$35,37590th
$2,772This org · 43rd
p10$452
p25$1,279
p50$4,019
p75$15,792
p90$35,375
$2,772

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 TX 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
Gnesen Volunteer Fire Department Inc MN$291,786 Gambling Manager $15,560 $15,370 2023
North Franklin Township Volunteer PA$290,795 President $2,380 $2,373 2023
Mendon Fire Department Inc NY$289,747 President $1,200 $1,084 2023
Rye Volunteer Firefighters Inc NY$288,373 Chief/secretary $1,200 $1,053 2024
Primos-secane-westbrook Park Fire PA$297,704 President $17,640 $17,081 2024
Watford City Volunteer Fire Dept ND$299,429 Chief $10,892 $11,949 2023
Factoryville Fire Company PA$299,732 Treasurer $3,600 $3,589 2023
South Haven Firemens Relief Association MN$283,323 Treasurer $1,200 $1,152 2024
Safety First Volunteer Fire Co PA$283,305 Steward $33,120 $33,018 2023
Penderlea Fire Department NC$300,834 Assistant Chief $175 $176 2024
Town Of Carlton Fire Company No 1 Inc NY$301,023 President $480 $421 2024
Clarendon Fire Company Inc NY$301,735 President $500 $439 2024
International Assoc Of Fire Fighte CT$302,461 Board Member $7,000 $6,373 2024
Canajoharie Volunteer Firefighters Inc NY$281,037 Treasurer $500 $439 2024
Three Oaks Emergency Vehicle Association MI$303,482 Administrator/director $82,286 $82,470 2024
Sellersburg Vol Fire Dept IN$303,586 Board Member $65,943 $67,524 2024
Bexar County Emergency Services Districts Association TX$280,000 Executive Director $17,150 $17,150 2023
C B S Fire Association IA$304,432 Treasurer $285 $303 2024
Webster Volunteer Fire Department Inc NY$279,416 Treasurer $9,440 $8,528 2023
Morrisvale Volunteer Fire Department Inc WV$304,798 Treasurer $6,000 $6,146 2025
East Grand Lake Volunteer Fire MI$278,640 Chief $1,900 $1,961 2023
Eldridge Volunteer Fire Co Inc IA$306,212 President $2,140 $2,276 2024
Ausable Forks Fire Department Inc NY$277,098 President $500 $452 2023
Fountain Rural Fire Association Inc NC$306,965 President $156 $161 2023
Cambridge Fire Company Inc VT$276,680 Chief $4,079 $4,104 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to TX 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 TX 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 default43rd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)41st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted46th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted42nd

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 Keys) 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 189 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (M24), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $2,772 is reasonable (approximately the 43rd 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.