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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

The Thomas Merton Institute For Catholic Life Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 874334157
NY · NTEE X22
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of David Oakley, Executive Director / CEO ($40,282) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 24 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 33rd percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

24 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 24 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$12,360 total compensation of comparable organizations → $120,150 $40,282
$15,56110th
$36,03825th
$54,429Median
$89,87475th
$98,73690th
$40,282This org · 33rd
p10$15,561
p25$36,038
p50$54,429
p75$89,874
p90$98,736
$40,282

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 NY 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
Souls Of The Christian Apostolate CO$405,786 President $90,000 $95,503 2024
Catholic Mission Trips Inc TX$411,542 Executive Director $20,959 $23,202 2024
Modern Catholic Pilgrim CA$394,527 President $62,897 $61,880 2023
Veritas Catholic Information Center SC$393,038 Executive Director Thru 6/2024 $30,492 $35,203 2024
Keep The Faith Inc NJ$387,665 President $50,000 $48,130 2025
Sisters Of Our Lady Of Perpetual Help CA$443,296 Ceo $15,600 $14,523 2025
The Society Of The Missionaries Of CT$446,068 Prov. Animator $33,996 $36,316 2023
Global Community Fellowship Inc NC$365,822 President / Executive Director $83,280 $95,228 2024
Daughters Of Isabella Inc CT$458,159 Intl Regent $15,000 $15,163 2025
Theology Of The Body Evangelization Team TX$458,493 President $71,831 $79,517 2024
Shadow On The Water Inc IN$339,012 President $100,000 $120,150 2023
Floriani AZ$482,057 Directorperformer $91,375 $100,122 2023
St Philip Neri House Inc NY$333,171 President $54,542 $54,542 2024
Catholic Education Opportunities KY$325,341 Executive Di $75,000 $91,805 2023
Evangelium Institute Inc NE$323,336 Executive Director $97,335 $119,277 2023
Saint Benedict's Chapel Inc TX$318,375 Executive Director $50,000 $55,350 2024
Lamp Ministries NY$315,153 President $43,160 $42,047 2025
The Reason For Our Hope Foundation PA$511,809 Executive Director $67,253 $74,220 2024
The Planning Office Of Urban Affairs MA$513,487 Treasurer/secretary $41,329 $42,314 2023
Carolina Catholic Athletic Association Inc NC$294,216 Program Manager $47,500 $54,315 2024
Lay Mission Helpers Association CA$292,156 Executive Dir. $90,697 $89,230 2023
Order Of St Michael NY$278,543 Pres $16,491 $16,491 2024
Ignatian Mission Center IL$548,173 Secretary And Acting Executive Director $11,361 $12,360 2024
Charles Crest Corporation CO$549,074 Director $37,575 $39,872 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to NY 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 NY 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 default33rd
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)33rd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted38th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted29th

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 (David Oakley) 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 24 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (X22), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $40,282 is reasonable (approximately the 33rd 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.