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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Living Wage For Us Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 871109801
GA · NTEE J99
FY ending 2023-05-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Michelle Murray Bhattacharyya, Executive Director / CEO ($121,685) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 15 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 93rd percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended

Benchmarked executive: Michelle Murray Bhattacharyya — reported title “CEO”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

15 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 15 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$479 total compensation of comparable organizations → $161,024 $121,685
$6,05510th
$36,65025th
$60,496Median
$92,72075th
$110,04690th
$121,685This org · 93rd
p10$6,055
p25$36,650
p50$60,496
p75$92,720
p90$110,046
$121,685

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 GA 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
The Medical Staff Of Cooley Dickinson MA$297,713 President $5,000 $4,469 2023
Amal Academy Inc NY$300,000 Ceo $55,440 $49,824 2023
Warriors Ethos Inc VA$301,922 Board Memberexecutive Direct $122,571 $117,702 2023
Afge Local 0449 NC$301,934 President $8,450 $8,435 2024
Sooners Helping Sooners Inc OK$279,616 Chief Executive Officer $90,000 $98,562 2023
Central Wisconsin Manufacturing WI$306,370 Executive Di $72,333 $72,975 2024
Beautyunited CA$315,000 Executive Dir. $187,500 $161,024 2023
Ten Thousand Villages Of Austin TX$239,330 Executive Dir. $50,114 $49,856 2023
Southeast Keller Corporation TX$348,053 Ceo $98,616 $95,294 2024
Candorful Inc MA$233,926 Executive Di $103,846 $90,146 2024
The Monkey And The Elephant PA$232,161 Executive Director (Former) $60,996 $60,496 2023
Selfhelp Foundation IL$353,464 Executive Director - Until 11/23 $504 $479 2024
Tri-isle Personal Care Inc HI$363,365 Frm Executive Director $51,808 $44,808 2024
We Grow Dreams Inc IL$366,585 Executive Director $30,000 $28,491 2024
Synergies Work Inc GA$386,485 Ceo $75,000 $72,848 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to GA 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 GA 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 default93rd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)87th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted87th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted80th

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 (Michelle Murray Bhattacharyya) 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 15 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (J99), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $121,685 is reasonable (approximately the 93rd 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.