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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

West Shore Wildlife Center

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 843657913
PA · NTEE D34
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Emily Garrigan, Executive Director / CEO ($54,700) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 419 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 74th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Emily Garrigan — reported title “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

419 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 419 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$640 total compensation of comparable organizations → $579,609 $54,700
$8,59010th
$18,18425th
$33,552Median
$55,20175th
$75,87590th
$54,700This org · 74th
p10$8,590
p25$18,184
p50$33,552
p75$55,201
p90$75,875
$54,700

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 PA 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
Minnesota Conservation Officers Association MN$208,894 President $18,605 $18,435 2024
Triangle Vegfest Inc NC$209,509 Executive Director $30,744 $32,796 2023
Critters Pet Rescue Foundation WA$209,672 Vice Present $22,434 $20,141 2024
Dreamcatcher Wild Horse And Burro CA$208,264 Pres/exec Dir. $65,680 $58,552 2023
Ark Rescue Rehab And Foster MS$210,046 Kennel Tech $33,347 $37,243 2024
Sanilac County Humane Society MI$208,104 President $79,189 $84,384 2023
Northern Lakes Rescue MN$210,094 President $24,259 $24,748 2023
South Carolina Wildlife Partnership SC$210,253 Executive Director $85,116 $91,673 2023
Shaw Pit Bull Rescue MS$210,527 Employee $15,779 $18,143 2023
Gabby's Animal Rescue Inc CA$210,765 President $41,600 $37,086 2023
Tazzy Animal Rescue Fund Inc CA$210,832 Ceo $27,135 $23,496 2024
Animals First Aid Nfp IL$211,091 President $7,358 $7,254 2024
Vicksburg-warren Humane Society MS$211,204 President $45,000 $50,258 2024
Murphy's Paw Rescue Inc CT$206,698 Executive Director $100,000 $96,799 2023
Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary PA$206,572 Executive Di $20,000 $20,591 2023
Bergen County Horse Rescue Inc NJ$206,047 President $36,400 $33,552 2023
Puplandia Dog Rescue OR$205,932 Founder/dire $75,818 $72,689 2023
Humane Society Of Amherst County VA$205,932 Vice President $3,858 $3,735 2024
Nmdog Inc NM$212,517 President $19,900 $21,463 2024
Susie Spector Foundation CA$205,497 Coo $76,404 $66,158 2024
No Greater Love Inc AL$205,485 Adoption Coordinator $44,820 $48,555 2024
Meow Mission Incorporated IN$205,482 President $1,500 $1,586 2024
All Creatures Loving Care Inc FL$212,804 President $1,000 $942 2024
Aspca Veterinary Services Of North Carolina Pc NC$205,271 Director $112,532 $116,598 2024
Marine Education Research And Rehab DE$205,183 Executive Di $84,000 $82,477 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to PA 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 PA 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 default74th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)73rd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted75th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted73rd

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 (Emily Garrigan) 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 419 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (D), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $54,700 is reasonable (approximately the 74th 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.