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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Farm Of The Free Animal Sanctuary

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 813223308
GA · NTEE D20
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Ryan Bulzan, Executive Director / CEO ($18,200) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 367 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 24th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Ryan Bulzan — reported title “Exec Director”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

367 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 367 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,382 total compensation of comparable organizations → $175,030 $18,200
$8,80810th
$18,80125th
$34,313Median
$54,48775th
$71,45090th
$18,200This org · 24th
p10$8,808
p25$18,801
p50$34,313
p75$54,487
p90$71,450
$18,200

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 GA 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
Happy Hills Animal Foundation Inc NC$265,807 President $8,900 $8,911 2025
Columbia Humane Society OR$265,243 Executive Dir. $59,856 $56,915 2023
Creature Comfort Pet Therapy NJ$266,308 Executive Director $65,241 $59,643 2023
Village Of Hope AZ$266,856 Executive Director $41,600 $39,790 2024
Jefferson County Humane Society Inc FL$264,281 President $41,600 $38,867 2024
Tiny Paws Kitten Rescue Inc OK$264,018 Executive Director $26,355 $28,862 2024
Norcal Aussie Rescue Inc CA$263,422 President $112,392 $99,373 2023
Animal Rescue Fund Inc FL$262,916 President $73,154 $66,586 2025
Unchained Melodies Inc MO$262,418 Director / President $23,000 $24,943 2023
Kitten Central Of Placer County Inc CA$261,760 Vice President $21,600 $18,550 2024
Naia Trust OR$269,835 Executive Di $80,000 $73,887 2024
Animal Services And Operations Support GA$269,850 President $3,181 $3,275 2023
Vivisection Investigation League CT$270,128 President $24,000 $23,041 2023
Peach County Animal Rescue And Rehabilitation GA$270,222 Director $27,700 $28,518 2023
Humane Society Of Young County Inc TX$260,815 Shelter Dir. $25,326 $25,940 2023
Rescue Road Trips Inc OH$260,735 President $48,000 $52,056 2023
Demis Animal Rescue Inc CO$271,323 President $3,600 $3,433 2024
Healing With Horseplay Inc MN$272,664 Chief Executive Officer And President $39,971 $39,280 2024
Dixie Girl Dog Rescue AL$257,852 President And Director $38,962 $41,863 2024
Gio Fund Corporation NC$257,144 Secretary $13,563 $13,938 2024
Animal Rescue Of Fresno CA$256,925 Member At Large $16,896 $14,510 2024
Zdr3 TX$275,245 Executive Director $136,358 $135,657 2024
Animal Humane Assoc Of Star Valley WY$275,987 Treasurer $6,377 $6,992 2023
Parker's Animal Rescue CO$276,092 Executive Dir. $93,523 $89,188 2024
Pawsitively Cats Inc AZ$276,307 Executive Di $50,350 $48,159 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to GA 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 GA 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 default24th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)25th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted25th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted23rd

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 (Ryan Bulzan) 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 367 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $18,200 is reasonable (approximately the 24th 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.