Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Karen Herman, Executive Director / CEO ($71,264) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 200 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 68th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range
Benchmarked executive: Karen Herman — reported title “Executive Director”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.
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 NM cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.
| Organization | State | Revenue | Matched title | Comp (reported) | Comp (adjusted) | FY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage Center | LA | $355,012 | Executive Director | $35,734 | $37,664 | 2023 |
| Friends Of 400 Foundation | AL | $352,584 | President/tr | $25,000 | $25,852 | 2023 |
| Shore Builders Association | NJ | $357,448 | Director | $100,328 | $83,284 | 2024 |
| Breast Wishes Foundation | OH | $351,875 | Vice Chair/e | $13,450 | $13,245 | 2024 |
| Wa State Association Of Rsvp Directors | ID | $360,710 | Vp/business Mgn | $10,000 | $9,891 | 2024 |
| Friends Of Manito | WA | $361,004 | Executive Dir. | $57,692 | $48,024 | 2024 |
| San Diego County Dental Foundation | CA | $361,587 | Executive Director | $82,500 | $66,234 | 2024 |
| Care Fresno Inc | CA | $362,423 | Executive Dir. | $62,555 | $48,928 | 2025 |
| Prentis Family Support Foundation | MI | $345,967 | Treasurer | $20,953 | $20,702 | 2023 |
| Compasspoint Mentorship | CA | $345,937 | Executive Director | $70,000 | $57,859 | 2023 |
| Independence Pass Foundation | CO | $345,874 | Executive Director | $119,602 | $109,777 | 2023 |
| Lutheran Housing Corporation Of Oil City | PA | $345,585 | Chief Executive Officer | $39,302 | $37,516 | 2023 |
| Ricrack Inc | LA | $345,417 | Executive Dir. | $15,385 | $15,751 | 2024 |
| Sacramento Housing Alliance | CA | $364,510 | Executive Director | $89,550 | $71,894 | 2024 |
| Heritage Private School Inc | OH | $365,865 | Administrator | $6,000 | $5,908 | 2024 |
| Washington Association Of Criminal Defense Lawyers | WA | $342,213 | Executive Director | $104,980 | $89,968 | 2023 |
| Zen Hospice Project | CA | $341,218 | Executive Dir. | $143,380 | $115,111 | 2024 |
| Light Of The Rockies Christian Counseling Center | CO | $341,083 | Executive Director | $7,380 | $6,579 | 2024 |
| Big Sister League Residency Inc | CA | $340,583 | Executive Dir. | $35,490 | $29,334 | 2023 |
| Va'ad Harabanim Of Greater Seattle | WA | $369,517 | Secretary | $66,486 | $55,344 | 2024 |
| Warrior Food Project Inc | FL | $339,722 | President | $78,500 | $68,564 | 2024 |
| The Detroit Creativity Project | MI | $338,412 | Executive Di | $67,501 | $64,778 | 2024 |
| The Icla Da Silva | TX | $371,643 | President | $182,529 | $169,759 | 2024 |
| Bay Area Psychotherapy Training | CA | $337,616 | Executive Di | $54,600 | $45,130 | 2023 |
| Cooperwood Equine Rescue | NJ | $372,075 | Trustee | $91,690 | $76,114 | 2024 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to NM cost of living and 2024 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.
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 NM 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 | 68th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 60th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 73rd |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 54th |
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). 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.