Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Colonel John D Folsom Ii Ret, Executive Director / CEO ($110,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 81 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 98th percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended
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 NE cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.
| Organization | State | Total revenue | Total comp | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burn Pits 360 | TX | $239,581 | $55,802 | 990 |
| Armed Forces Services Center | MN | $240,858 | $43,567 | 990 |
| Warrior Strong Inc | PA | $236,873 | $69,895 | 990 |
| Watson & Black American Legion Post 126 | PA | $242,753 | $18,733 | 990 |
| Lake County Honor Flight | IL | $234,502 | $26,989 | 990 |
| Enlisted Assoc Of Natl Guard O | TN | $244,860 | $40,069 | 990 |
| South Dade Womens Veterans Alliance Inc | FL | $229,790 | $57,590 | 990 |
| Amigo Air Sho Inc | TX | $250,000 | $28,559 | 990 |
| American Legion Post 233 | IL | $250,649 | $39,949 | 990 |
| Lutheran Military Veterans | IN | $227,755 | $61,167 | 990 |
| Patriot Military Family Foundation | NC | $250,832 | $19,287 | 990 |
| American Legion Post 13 | AK | $226,785 | $30,748 | 990 |
| Knott Alone--hold Fast | VA | $225,184 | $14,540 | 990 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars | MN | $224,089 | $9,180 | 990 |
| Mattersville | CO | $255,780 | $10,556 | 990 |
| American Legion Post #144 | MI | $256,579 | $29,666 | 990 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 614 | NM | $221,500 | $11,984 | 990 |
| Utah Veterans Alliance | UT | $258,394 | $44,344 | 990 |
| Joint Service Special Operations | MT | $258,941 | $40,089 | 990 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars | CA | $216,406 | $4,335 | 990 |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars Department | DE | $266,283 | $53,214 | 990 |
| Bourn Free Foundation | NV | $267,799 | $8,388 | 990 |
| Paralyzed Veterans Of America North Cent | SD | $268,925 | $88,324 | 990 |
| Peoples Foundation For Connecting Community Military & Veterans | CA | $207,511 | $1,240 | 990 |
| Dtom 220 Foundation | SD | $207,188 | $38,074 | 990 |
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 NE 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.
Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:
| Basis | Subject percentile |
|---|---|
| Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default | 98th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 98th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 99th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 98th |
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.
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
Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). 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.