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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

We Make Noise Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 844427785
AZ · NTEE A68
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Erin-barra Jean, Executive Director / CEO ($52,285) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 177 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 47th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Erin-barra Jean — reported title “PRESIDENT”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

177 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 177 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$586 total compensation of comparable organizations → $178,826 $52,285
$14,68310th
$32,86825th
$55,906Median
$76,79675th
$94,64290th
$52,285This org · 47th
p10$14,683
p25$32,868
p50$55,906
p75$76,796
p90$94,642
$52,285

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 AZ 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
Music In Common Inc GA$395,049 Executive Dir. $60,000 $62,730 2024
Redtone Records CA$395,896 Ed/pres/boar $14,230 $13,154 2023
Porchfest Dc DC$394,155 Co-executive Director $32,092 $30,148 2023
Bach Concert Series Inc MD$397,487 Music Director $40,300 $39,176 2024
Choral Masterworks Festival Inc FL$397,541 Executive Director $59,815 $56,922 2025
Little Village Foundation CA$392,844 Executive Director $86,000 $79,497 2023
29 11 International Exchange MN$399,583 Executive Artistic Director/co-founder $49,075 $50,422 2024
Juneau Jazz & Classics AK$390,873 Executive Di $73,253 $74,972 2023
Ted Brown Music Outreach WA$389,619 Executive Director $36,723 $34,187 2024
Columbia Music Festival Association SC$388,941 Exec Director $81,250 $88,137 2024
American Choral Directors Association Of MN$386,926 Executive Director $98,504 $98,598 2025
Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra CA$405,189 President $40,000 $36,975 2023
Summit Choral Society Inc OH$385,171 Executive Dir. $80,720 $88,898 2024
Aiken Music Festival SC$383,906 Executive Di $75,000 $81,357 2024
Vibe Of Portland OR$408,947 Executive Director, Founder, Board President $44,700 $43,163 2024
Global Arts Corporation CA$380,948 Ceo $63,009 $56,574 2024
Corpsvets Inc GA$376,069 Executive Director $16,196 $16,933 2024
Girls Rock Dc Inc DC$375,969 Executive Director $61,270 $55,906 2024
Friends Of The Orchestra CO$374,591 Executive Dir. $29,345 $29,258 2024
Jazz At The Ballroom Inc CA$416,145 Executive Direc $2,414 $2,231 2023
Chamber Music Monterey Bay CA$373,584 Operations Manager $69,075 $62,020 2024
Chamber Music Society Of St Louis Inc MO$418,086 Executive & Artistic Director $67,250 $74,063 2024
Fontana Chamber Arts MI$371,972 Director $53,523 $55,962 2025
Creative Ability Development Inc NY$420,918 Vice Chair/executive Director $83,488 $80,762 2023
Free Guitars 4 Kids MN$369,229 Executive Director $112,198 $118,682 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to AZ 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 AZ 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 default47th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)46th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted49th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted47th

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 (Erin-barra Jean) 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 177 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (A68), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $52,285 is reasonable (approximately the 47th 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.