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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Northern Colorado Wildlife Center

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 812267415
CO · NTEE D30
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Bob Nightwalker, Executive Director / CEO ($46,012) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 42 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 31st percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Bob Nightwalker — reported title “Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

42 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 42 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$4,985 total compensation of comparable organizations → $159,037 $46,012
$8,68010th
$37,84525th
$59,538Median
$80,20175th
$98,04990th
$46,012This org · 31st
p10$8,680
p25$37,845
p50$59,538
p75$80,201
p90$98,049
$46,012

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 CO 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
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy VA$393,437 Executive Director (From 06/24) $47,874 $48,207 2024
Foundation For Western Fish And Wildlife ID$359,233 Executive Director $7,693 $8,535 2024
Orca Conservancy WA$357,694 Executive Director $72,120 $67,339 2024
Mzuri Wildlife Foundation CA$417,839 Executive Director (End 8/24) $120,340 $108,370 2024
The Cloud Foundation CO$336,342 Executive Director $71,444 $71,444 2024
Lower Nehalem Community Trust OR$328,533 Executive Dir. $38,232 $37,027 2024
Idaho Wildlife Federation ID$324,561 Executive Director (Jan-may) $44,235 $49,075 2024
Iowa Wildlife Center IA$323,654 Executive Dir. $5,000 $5,878 2023
Alaska Nannut Co-management Council AK$438,406 At-large Member $5,250 $5,389 2023
Texas Foundation For Conservation TX$440,000 Executive Director $152,450 $159,037 2024
Raptor View Research Institute MT$442,311 Executive Di $82,928 $93,225 2024
Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation WY$313,455 Executive Director $70,417 $78,637 2024
Inland Nw Wildlife Council WA$449,169 Executive Director $17,235 $16,092 2024
The Science And Conservation Center Inc MT$455,472 Executive Director $94,233 $105,934 2024
Wildlife Rescue Center MO$461,084 Executive Director $61,410 $69,836 2023
National Deer Association Group Return GA$461,866 President & Ceo $9,525 $9,988 2024
Prairie Wildlife Research Inc WI$298,766 Executive Director $76,960 $83,821 2024
Philadelphia Metro Wildlife Center Inc PA$297,973 President $28,000 $29,120 2024
Open Door Bird Sanctuary WI$295,913 Executive Director $53,228 $57,973 2024
Orang Utan Republik Foundation Inc CA$295,262 President $12,000 $10,806 2024
Alaska Wildbird Rehabilitation Center AK$466,847 Executive Director $5,000 $4,985 2024
Jack Creek Preserve Foundation Inc MT$469,438 Executive Dir. $52,047 $58,510 2024
Lois E Womer Foundation NJ$290,730 Co-trustee $6,893 $6,418 2024
Animal Education And Rescue Nfp IL$286,406 President $53,879 $55,241 2024
Native Animal Rescue CA$475,420 Executive Dir. $60,000 $55,628 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to CO 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 CO 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 default31st
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)33rd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted33rd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted26th

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 (Bob Nightwalker) 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 42 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D30), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $46,012 is reasonable (approximately the 31st 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.