Compensation Comparability

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Lisa A Musch, Executive Director / CEO ($54,500) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 22 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 32^nd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

Distribution of comparable compensation

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 WI cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

Organization	State	Total revenue	Total comp	Source
Financial Education Associates Inc	MA	$219,768	$82,622	990
American Credit Counseling Institute Inc	PA	$210,016	$47,350	990
Marvelous Lifestyles Outreach	MI	$208,020	$60,389	990
Grace-mar Services Inc	NC	$224,988	$44,522	990
Tsm Services	WA	$227,369	$64,783	990
Your Best Life Inc	WI	$202,327	$114,666	990
Empower Yourself Ltd	MA	$227,822	$61,324	990
Credit Coalition Inc	TX	$229,874	$97,748	990
Dominion Financial Management Inc	TN	$241,301	$59,853	990
Building Bridges Of Northeast Oklahoma Inc	OK	$242,923	$35,041	990
Wings For Widows	MN	$245,930	$55,177	990
Streator Area United Way Inc	IL	$248,135	$33,387	990
Butterfly Financial Education	NC	$253,921	$61,245	990
Action Payee Services Inc	OR	$257,009	$91,181	990
Mustard Seed Development Center	OH	$260,615	$45,066	990
Morning Star Urban Development Inc	GA	$269,603	$62,281	990
A Debt Coach Credit Counseling	KY	$158,074	$65,948	990
Institute For Financial	ME	$280,801	$67,749	990
Montana Credit Unions For Community	MT	$147,613	$45,693	990
The Cares Project Inc	NC	$296,908	$78,455	990
1 Wiser Consumer Education Center Inc	TX	$306,880	$27,910	990
The Phebe Foundation	OH	$308,316	$66,935	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 WI 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:

Basis	Subject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default	32^nd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)	32^nd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted	41^st
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted	23^rd

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

The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Lisa A Musch) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
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 22 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (P51), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
The authorized body determined that total compensation of $54,500 is reasonable (approximately the 32^nd percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].