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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Vibrant Lives Of Montana

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 852587876
MT · NTEE F30
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Melainya Ryan, Executive Director / CEO ($44,522) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 62 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 53rd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Melainya Ryan — reported title “THERAPIST”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

62 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 62 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$2,140 total compensation of comparable organizations → $157,136 $44,522
$11,18010th
$28,74525th
$43,740Median
$64,55075th
$88,95490th
$44,522This org · 53rd
p10$11,180
p25$28,745
p50$43,740
p75$64,550
p90$88,954
$44,522

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 MT 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
Nami Lowcountry SC$219,077 Executive Di $62,000 $60,004 2023
Blue Mountain Health Cooperative WA$219,923 Executive Dir. $71,160 $57,407 2024
Rise Canyon Ranch CA$220,642 Board Member $61,021 $46,256 2025
Bella Terra Stables PA$223,353 President/executive Director $33,007 $29,660 2024
Pennsylvania Association Of Psychiatric PA$214,452 Executive Director $74,542 $66,982 2024
Christian Counseling Connection Inc CT$224,871 Exec. Dir. (Ret 6/24) $6,668 $5,634 2024
Animal Companion Counseling OH$210,989 Co-executive Director $44,007 $41,999 2024
Logos Healing Institute CO$209,780 President And Director Of Ops $50,817 $43,907 2024
Live Oak Counseling Center SC$208,958 Executive Director $51,062 $49,418 2023
Azimuth Counseling And Therapeutic Services Inc VT$230,623 Executive Director $12,500 $11,044 2025
Ground Work Inc AZ$206,523 Chair $16,000 $13,865 2024
Renovations For Life Inc ID$205,716 Secretary $30,155 $28,905 2024
Depression And Bipolar Support Alliance CA$205,574 Executive Director $66,000 $52,870 2023
Christian Counseling Of Mid Michigan MI$205,033 Executive Director $40,189 $36,415 2025
Teton Valley Mental Health ID$233,570 Executive Di $72,659 $69,647 2024
Community Improvement Associates NH$235,476 Employee Representative $33,500 $27,873 2024
New Life Behavioral Health Services MD$202,027 Executive Director $33,078 $27,866 2024
Family & Children Counseling Service CA$201,508 Ceo $77,300 $60,146 2024
Second Mile Psychological And Consulting NM$200,394 President $162,136 $157,136 2024
The Samaritan Counseling Center Of GA$238,356 Executive Di $90,025 $81,564 2024
Mental Health Programs Inc V MA$240,219 President $12,032 $9,492 2025
Hillside Wellness Center CA$194,204 Cfo And Ceo $15,938 $12,401 2024
Dreavita Counseling Coaching And Consulting Inc DE$245,854 Founder $157,570 $139,023 2024
Crested Butte State Of Mind CO$247,597 Executive Director $63,135 $56,162 2023
Merakey Youth Services PA$249,352 President/ceo $55,952 $51,763 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MT 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 MT 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 default53rd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)44th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted55th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted48th

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 (Melainya Ryan) 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 62 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (F30), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $44,522 is reasonable (approximately the 53rd 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.