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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

The West Central Montana Avalanche

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 810538197
MT · NTEE M40
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Patrick Black, Executive Director / CEO ($71,680) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 26 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 69th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Patrick Black — reported title “Executive Dir.”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

26 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 26 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$2 total compensation of comparable organizations → $122,333 $71,680
$9,04610th
$33,51325th
$47,888Median
$73,15675th
$81,74790th
$71,680This org · 69th
p10$9,046
p25$33,513
p50$47,888
p75$73,156
p90$81,747
$71,680

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 MT 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
Sass Go SC$251,510 President $79,897 $75,107 2024
Community Alliance For Teen Safety NH$256,591 Executive Director $38,152 $31,743 2024
Arizona Motorcycle Safety And Awareness Foundation AZ$249,733 Executive Director $43,000 $38,364 2023
Tonto Recreation Alliance Inc AZ$246,291 President Executive Director $40,468 $35,069 2024
Volunteer Firemans Association Of Cambria County And Vicinity PA$241,676 President $150 $139 2023
Greenville Area Parkinsons Society SC$271,642 Executive Director $81,000 $76,144 2024
Waterfront Education CA$275,021 President $13,513 $11,269 2022
Metropolitan Safety Council Of LA$222,087 President, Director $33,963 $33,699 2024
National Committee On Uniform Traffic Control Devices AZ$218,831 Executive Secretary $87,750 $76,043 2024
Kauai Sailing Association HI$214,355 Treasurer $40,275 $33,451 2023
Chautauqua Children's Safety NY$211,744 Executive Di $81,073 $66,013 2024
Bikemore Inc MD$300,750 Executive Director $86,000 $72,449 2024
Bike Walk Macon Inc GA$203,275 Ececutive Di $54,600 $49,469 2024
Project Childsafe Inc CT$196,137 Assistant Secretary $106,126 $87,350 2025
The 247 Movement TN$189,904 Executive Di $46,335 $43,887 2024
Wyoming-montana Safety Council WY$318,143 Executive Director $78,074 $73,391 2025
National Safety Council Ohio Chapter OH$188,834 Executive Director $56,160 $52,217 2025
Veteran Sailing Inc FL$183,464 Secretary $2 $2 2024
National Center For Urban Operations Inc NY$330,379 Director $55,240 $46,307 2023
Educators School Safety Network OH$176,215 Director Of Programs $39,758 $37,944 2024
Los Gatos Monte Sereno Safe Routes CA$333,345 Executive Dir. $9,000 $6,822 2025
Bikehouston Inc TX$173,613 Executive Director $135,721 $122,333 2024
Safe 2 School CA$344,963 Executive Dir. $86,771 $67,515 2024
Tree Care Industry NH$356,090 Past Cfo $29,536 $24,575 2024
Missing Kid Alert Dba Gateway For Kids MI$370,048 Director $124,469 $119,184 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MT 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 MT 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 default69th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)58th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted73rd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted65th

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 (Patrick Black) 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 26 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (M40), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $71,680 is reasonable (approximately the 69th 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.