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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Mercy Smiles International Outreach

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 770588337
TX · NTEE Q33
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Karen Knudsen, Executive Director / CEO ($1,830) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 24 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 0th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

How comparable organizations were selected

24 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 24 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$10,000 total compensation of comparable organizations → $169,874 $1,830
$15,99010th
$29,87125th
$50,542Median
$57,83375th
$105,17490th
$1,830This org · 0th
p10$15,990
p25$29,871
p50$50,542
p75$57,833
p90$105,174
$1,830

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.

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
Santiago Panama Mission AdventuresTX $262,033$18,300 990
Troup Family Ministries IncTX $263,285$15,000 990
Nations Training Institute IncTX $259,405$52,523 990
Second Mountain MinistriesTX $266,325$169,874 990
Cure Glaucoma FoundationTX $267,724$25,738 990
Nicaragua Advances In ChristianTX $255,440$40,800 990
Upright Africa IncTX $272,522$35,052 990
Life Essentials FoundationTX $244,239$68,602 990
American Medical Institute IncTX $225,800$55,207 990
New Hope For Cambodian ChildrenTX $305,993$31,248 990
Global HopeTX $308,463$117,034 990
Champions In Action IncTX $309,045$10,000 990
Elizabeth's Voice IncTX $213,569$10,460 990
Holistic Christian MinistryTX $210,264$50,500 990
Helping Oppressed People EverywhereTX $323,194$59,006 990
Segner Ministries IncTX $327,437$50,595 990
Canopy International IncTX $186,073$121,764 990
Ends Of The Earth Ministries IncTX $340,799$77,500 990
Aim4indiaTX $342,503$50,584 990
Aarti For Girls IncTX $347,788$25,000 990
Get Up ProjectTX $365,265$57,442 990
Oasis Communities International Inc MinistriesTX $370,193$35,036 990
Abandoned Little Angels Nhom Tinh ThuongTX $370,370$50,000 990
Building Everyones Success Together In West AfricaTX $387,914$53,648 990

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 default0th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)0th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted0th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted0th

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 (Karen Knudsen) 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 24 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (Q33) + TX + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $1,830 is reasonable (approximately the 0th 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). 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.