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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

The Medical Staff Of Cooley Dickinson

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 813871395
MA · NTEE J99
FY ending 2023-09-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Michelle Helms Md, Executive Director / CEO ($5,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 16 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 6th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Michelle Helms Md — reported title “PRESIDENT”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

16 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 16 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$536 total compensation of comparable organizations → $180,173 $5,000
$20,65910th
$54,34625th
$81,582Median
$107,54175th
$133,92890th
$5,000This org · 6th
p10$20,659
p25$54,346
p50$81,582
p75$107,541
p90$133,928
$5,000

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 MA 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
Amal Academy Inc NY$300,000 Ceo $55,440 $55,749 2023
Warriors Ethos Inc VA$301,922 Board Memberexecutive Direct $122,571 $131,700 2023
Afge Local 0449 NC$301,934 President $8,450 $9,438 2024
Living Wage For Us Inc GA$292,025 Ceo $121,685 $136,156 2023
Central Wisconsin Manufacturing WI$306,370 Executive Di $72,333 $81,653 2024
Beautyunited CA$315,000 Executive Dir. $187,500 $180,173 2023
Sooners Helping Sooners Inc OK$279,616 Chief Executive Officer $90,000 $110,283 2023
Southeast Keller Corporation TX$348,053 Ceo $98,616 $106,627 2024
Selfhelp Foundation IL$353,464 Executive Director - Until 11/23 $504 $536 2024
Ten Thousand Villages Of Austin TX$239,330 Executive Dir. $50,114 $55,785 2023
Candorful Inc MA$233,926 Executive Di $103,846 $100,867 2024
The Monkey And The Elephant PA$232,161 Executive Director (Former) $60,996 $67,690 2023
Tri-isle Personal Care Inc HI$363,365 Frm Executive Director $51,808 $50,137 2024
We Grow Dreams Inc IL$366,585 Executive Director $30,000 $31,879 2024
Synergies Work Inc GA$386,485 Ceo $75,000 $81,511 2024
Quality Support Solutions Inc UT$443,211 President $74,883 $85,288 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MA 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 MA 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 default6th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)6th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted13th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted0th

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 (Michelle Helms Md) 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 16 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (J99), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $5,000 is reasonable (approximately the 6th 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.