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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

South Carolina Early Childhood

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 854383568
SC · NTEE O99
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Becky Wardlaw, Executive Director / CEO ($45,651) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 48 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 48th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Becky Wardlaw — reported title “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

48 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 48 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$361 total compensation of comparable organizations → $155,345 $45,651
$13,76210th
$21,57725th
$48,145Median
$64,17475th
$87,28090th
$45,651This org · 48th
p10$13,762
p25$21,577
p50$48,145
p75$64,174
p90$87,280
$45,651

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 SC 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
Day Dreams Foundation MO$243,310 Executive Di $20,492 $20,805 2024
The Sweet Julia Grace Foundation VA$236,179 Ceo $55,569 $51,430 2024
Child And Family Resource Foundation SC$230,904 Ceo $35,170 $35,170 2024
Wesley Foundation At The University Of Washington WA$223,768 Executive Director $99,011 $84,971 2024
Valley Youth Network PA$222,234 Executive Director $94,401 $90,238 2024
Mentor For Change CA$221,819 Executive Di $25,523 $21,750 2023
Healthy Families Partnership Inc VA$219,326 Board Treasu $400 $361 2025
Victory Lane Camp Inc IN$217,717 Ceo $84,989 $85,911 2024
Lincoln Independent Business Association NE$263,224 Executive Director $150,678 $155,345 2024
Nashville Debate League Inc TN$263,898 Executive Director $74,001 $72,640 2025
Salida Circus Outreach Foundation CO$265,704 Executive Director $45,691 $41,996 2024
Students Without Limits CA$213,818 President/ceo $123,249 $102,014 2024
Purpose Foundation For Youth IL$213,157 President $10,500 $9,895 2024
Reintegration Support Network Inc NC$268,687 Executive Director $58,407 $56,357 2025
Mentoring Mentors Inc MD$269,718 Founder & Ceo $35,992 $32,254 2024
Grand Forks Fastbreak Club ND$210,877 Director $4,200 $4,418 2024
Silver Stallion Bicycle And Coffee NM$270,499 President $25,858 $26,659 2024
Purpose Learning Lab The Premier Drop-in Studio NC$208,006 Executive Director $28,650 $29,214 2023
Native American Youth Ministries AZ$273,180 Ceo $19,747 $18,741 2023
Mentoring Youth Through Technology IL$273,447 Executive Dir. $29,000 $27,329 2024
Southwest Wildlife Foundation Inc UT$203,783 Ceo $42,000 $41,204 2024
Child Wellness Institute Inc NJ$199,940 Executive Director $24,603 $21,056 2024
Oak Ridge Outdoor Foundation IL$198,584 Manager $19,500 $18,919 2023
Girls On The Run 334 NJ$283,331 Council Director $57,145 $48,906 2024
Summer Of Sass Inc MA$196,251 Executive Di $90,087 $77,598 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to SC 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 SC 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 default48th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)46th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted48th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted46th

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 (Becky Wardlaw) 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 48 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (O99), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $45,651 is reasonable (approximately the 48th 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.