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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Paws-n-claws Iowa

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 852875384
IA · NTEE D20
FY ending 2023-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Rachel Long, Executive Director / CEO ($3,500) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 374 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 5th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Rachel Long — reported title “PRESIDENT”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

374 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 374 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,233 total compensation of comparable organizations → $156,119 $3,500
$8,12210th
$16,84025th
$31,923Median
$48,73575th
$64,28290th
$3,500This org · 5th
p10$8,122
p25$16,840
p50$31,923
p75$48,735
p90$64,282
$3,500

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 IA 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
Finding Forever Animal Rescue IL$280,462 President $70,640 $60,019 2025
Allys Animal Rescue CA$280,087 Ceo $10,523 $8,061 2024
Granite State Dog Recovery NH$280,663 Director $50,000 $42,165 2023
Vegan World CA$279,887 Secretary $16,965 $12,995 2024
Small Lives Matter Kitten Rescue Inc FL$281,247 President $65,000 $54,168 2024
Furry Feet Rescue Inc PA$281,333 President $37,600 $33,262 2024
Save-a-mutt WA$281,644 Executive Director $36,000 $29,436 2023
One Love Arizona AZ$282,074 President $24,000 $21,080 2023
Ritchie County Humane Society WV$278,329 Shelter Mana $21,247 $20,407 2024
Raven Ridge Wildlife Center Inc PA$277,779 President $34,280 $30,326 2024
Fetching Tails Foundation IL$283,442 Secretary $48,000 $41,862 2024
New Nodaway Humane Society MO$276,922 Manager $52,353 $49,189 2024
New Hope Animal Rescue Nfp TX$283,776 Pres & Exec Dir $24,600 $21,829 2024
Emporia-greensville Humane Society VA$284,237 Treasurer $7,600 $6,510 2024
Pawsitively Cats Inc AZ$276,307 Executive Di $50,350 $42,955 2024
Parker's Animal Rescue CO$276,092 Executive Dir. $93,523 $79,552 2024
Animal Humane Assoc Of Star Valley WY$275,987 Treasurer $6,377 $6,237 2023
Humane Society Of South Brevard Inc FL$284,819 President $20,308 $17,424 2023
All About Elephantsinc FL$285,172 Director $8,050 $6,708 2024
Ollies Angels Animal Rescue Inc NY$285,326 Founder/president $43,295 $35,730 2023
Pigs Peace Sanctuary WA$285,356 President $28,800 $22,874 2024
Zdr3 TX$275,245 Executive Director $136,358 $121,000 2024
Barking Lot CA$286,118 Director $15,000 $11,829 2023
Second Chance Spca TX$286,402 Director Of Operations $43,400 $39,649 2023
4 Paws On Deck Inc CT$286,699 President $52,258 $44,749 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to IA 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 IA 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 default5th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)3rd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted6th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted4th

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 (Rachel Long) 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 374 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $3,500 is reasonable (approximately the 5th 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.