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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Helping Hands Humane Society

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 843939951
KS · NTEE D20
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Kathryn Maxwell, Executive Director / CEO ($9,523) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 421 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 9th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Kathryn Maxwell — reported title “TRUSTEE”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

421 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 421 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$117 total compensation of comparable organizations → $313,172 $9,523
$11,05610th
$23,62625th
$41,325Median
$57,13675th
$73,56890th
$9,523This org · 9th
p10$11,056
p25$23,626
p50$41,325
p75$57,136
p90$73,568
$9,523

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 KS 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
Bradys K9 Fund OH$451,323 President $49,410 $47,051 2024
Merwin Memorial Free Clinic For MA$450,427 Treasurer $36,868 $29,787 2024
Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Inc MN$449,715 Executive Director $71,744 $63,737 2024
Thompson River Animal Care Shelter MT$452,210 Manager $39,540 $38,321 2024
Pet Central Helps IL$452,430 President $53,000 $54,228 2021
Little Guild Of St Francis CT$452,636 Executive Director $110,000 $92,729 2024
French Bulldog Rescue Network MA$449,069 Treasurer $5,000 $4,040 2024
Alliance For Contraception In Cats & Dogs MI$453,609 President $110,000 $102,080 2024
Potters Angels Rescue Inc VT$448,227 Executive Dir. $2,500 $2,262 2024
Friends Of Metro Animal Services Inc KY$453,895 Executive Director $42,294 $40,854 2024
Ric Obarrys Dolphin Project FL$447,609 President $60,300 $52,435 2023
Strength Of Shadow Dog Rescue Inc CA$447,518 Ceo $10,803 $8,387 2024
Peace 4 Animals TX$447,109 President & $150,000 $134,905 2024
Handover Rover AZ$446,799 Director $51,877 $44,857 2024
Union County Humane Society OH$455,085 Director $64,615 $63,348 2023
Carver Scott County Humane Society MN$455,164 Former Executive Director $83,244 $73,954 2024
North Country Spca Inc NY$455,725 Executive Dir. $83,572 $67,896 2024
Humane Society Of Moultrie And GA$445,336 Director Of $41,916 $37,892 2024
Barrio Dogs Inc TX$445,165 President $64,668 $58,160 2024
Progressive Animal Welfare Society WA$456,867 Executive Director $18,250 $15,124 2023
Cove Animal Rescue Corporation NY$444,436 Executive Director $26,612 $21,621 2024
Catio Cat Lounge Inc TN$457,428 Secretary $6,133 $5,796 2024
The Pet Connection Incorporated KS$443,913 President $12,000 $11,656 2024
Humane Animal Care Coalition Inc FL$458,692 President $11,000 $9,290 2024
Animal Rescue Mission CA$442,945 President $87,600 $70,018 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to KS 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 KS 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 default9th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)8th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted0th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted95th

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 (Kathryn Maxwell) 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 421 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $9,523 is reasonable (approximately the 9th 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.