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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Society Of American Military Engineers F

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 811960637
VA · NTEE U99
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Joseph Schroedel, Executive Director / CEO ($7,116) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 15 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

Benchmarked executive: Joseph Schroedel — reported title “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU 8/15/23)”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

15 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 15 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$8,633 total compensation of comparable organizations → $338,577 $7,116
$32,57810th
$67,44225th
$109,123Median
$138,20875th
$188,75390th
$7,116This org · 0th
p10$32,578
p25$67,442
p50$109,123
p75$138,208
p90$188,753
$7,116

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 VA 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
Research Theory Inc TX$330,000 President $8,333 $8,633 2023
South Dakota Biotechnology Council SD$318,563 Executive Director $30,000 $34,291 2023
North American Associates Of The NY$309,994 Executive Di $98,333 $89,387 2024
Psychological Clinical Science IN$303,240 Executive Director $130,000 $134,357 2025
San Antonio Community Resource Directory TX$279,408 Executive Dir. $45,213 $45,497 2024
Nebraska Coalition For Life Saving Cures NE$272,121 Executive Director $99,000 $107,116 2024
Institute For Workforce Advancement NY$260,315 Director Of Finance $140,724 $127,922 2024
Owner-operator Independent Drivers MO$254,002 Director Of Op. $103,395 $113,419 2023
The Many Brains Project Inc MA$423,904 Head Of Research & Develop $161,305 $142,059 2025
Advanced Heliophysics CA$235,524 President Ceo $122,018 $109,123 2023
The Center For Advancing Innovation Inc MD$432,823 Ceo $360,000 $338,577 2024
South Jersey Dream Center Inc NJ$444,492 Secretary $35,000 $31,436 2024
Climate Science Legal Defense Fund NY$465,503 Executive Director $103,400 $93,993 2024
Center For Technology Integrity Inc MA$479,024 Acting Executive Director $210,269 $190,079 2024
Open Research Lab CA$494,168 Research Director $208,834 $186,764 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to VA 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 VA 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), adjusted80th

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 (Joseph Schroedel) 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 15 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (U99), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $7,116 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). 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.