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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Adirondack Public Observatory Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 770616930
NY · NTEE U31
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Natalie Zurek, Executive Director / CEO ($28,404) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 78 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 28th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

78 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 78 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$4,916 total compensation of comparable organizations → $199,801 $28,404
$12,01910th
$25,45125th
$57,100Median
$98,29875th
$127,11390th
$28,404This org · 28th
p10$12,019
p25$25,451
p50$57,100
p75$98,298
p90$127,113
$28,404

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 NY 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
Rocky Mountain Association CO$184,439 Executive Di $99,063 $105,120 2024
The Wisconsin Society For Ornithology WI$183,545 Executive Director $57,750 $66,744 2024
Csrm Foundation Inc MD$189,087 Vice President $27,808 $29,620 2023
Precision Metalforming Association OH$180,396 Executive Director $8,519 $9,985 2024
Human Computation Institute Inc NY$174,977 Exec Director $47,647 $47,647 2024
The Marine Research Hub FL$199,048 Executive Director $47,349 $49,225 2024
Greater Memphis It Council TN$171,245 Executive Director & Secre $78,433 $93,932 2023
P3 Exhibits Corporation CA$201,421 Director $25,501 $24,369 2024
University Consortium For Geographic Info Science VA$202,880 Executive Director $44,363 $47,403 2024
Institute For Broadening Participation ME$203,434 Executive Director $69,739 $79,563 2023
International Microwave Power Institute VA$206,535 Executive Director $47,754 $52,534 2023
Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network TX$207,480 Executive Director $88,500 $97,969 2024
Biosphere Foundation CA$208,578 President $20,000 $19,112 2024
Airfuel Alliance OR$160,830 President $48,000 $49,330 2024
Council Of Professional Associations On DC$211,529 Executive Director $190,928 $185,414 2024
Native Skywatchers Incorporated MN$212,233 Director $101,409 $114,165 2023
Punxsutawney Weather Center Inc PA$158,655 Center Direc $22,867 $25,236 2024
5 Lakes Institute WI$158,500 Executive Di $87,400 $98,408 2025
Talkstem TX$213,328 Ceo $53,505 $59,230 2024
Aci Center Of Excellence For MI$156,667 Treasurer $37,236 $42,533 2024
Octo WA$215,773 Director And President $110,000 $108,987 2024
Washington State Academy Of Sciences WA$218,480 Executive Director $9,962 $9,870 2024
Biological Stain Commission Inc NY$152,160 90 Eagle Chase, Woodbury, Ny 11797 $19,476 $19,476 2024
Metaverse Standards Forum Inc OR$220,420 Executive Director $54,360 $57,516 2023
Tek Collaborative Inc MA$221,205 President $95,250 $97,519 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to NY 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 NY 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 default28th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)31st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted36th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted22nd

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 (Natalie Zurek) 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 78 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (U), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $28,404 is reasonable (approximately the 28th 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.