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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Thurston County Humane Society

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 916057794
WA · NTEE D200
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Carlos Alaniz, Executive Director / CEO ($68,863) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 17 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 76th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

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

How comparable organizations were selected

17 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 17 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$8,585 total compensation of comparable organizations → $109,506 $68,863
$21,82410th
$28,80025th
$49,615Median
$68,13975th
$77,94090th
$68,863This org · 76th
p10$21,824
p25$28,800
p50$49,615
p75$68,139
p90$77,940
$68,863

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 WA 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
Orcas Animal Protection Society WA$327,485 Executive Director $72,335 $72,335 2024
Cats Meow WA$307,110 Executive Director $66,184 $68,139 2023
Puget Sound Goat Rescue And Adoption WA$300,712 Executive Director $45,554 $45,554 2024
Down The Stretch Ranch WA$338,727 Executive Director $72,573 $74,717 2023
Second Chance Ranch WA$291,056 President $8,585 $8,585 2024
Pigs Peace Sanctuary WA$285,356 President $28,800 $28,800 2024
South Pacific County Humane Society WA$352,781 Shelter Manager $48,192 $49,615 2023
Save-a-mutt WA$281,644 Executive Director $36,000 $37,063 2023
Paws Of Grays Harbor WA$240,779 Executive Director $59,378 $59,378 2024
Kitten Rescue Of Mason County WA$396,894 Executive Director $23,847 $23,847 2024
Resilient Hearts Animal Sanctuary WA$238,040 Executive Director $37,430 $38,536 2023
Canopy Cat Rescue WA$234,586 Founder/cat Rescuer $80,400 $82,775 2023
Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation WA$407,890 Director Of Development $106,364 $109,506 2023
A Just World WA$218,534 Org. Strategist $58,224 $58,224 2024
Brigadoon Service Dogs WA$442,845 Executive Director $55,363 $56,998 2023
Progressive Animal Welfare Society WA$456,867 Executive Director $18,250 $18,789 2023
Sunny Skys Animal Rescue And Hospital WA$475,506 President $27,942 $27,942 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to WA 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 WA 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 default76th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)76th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted71st
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted76th

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 (Carlos Alaniz) 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 17 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (D20) + WA + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $68,863 is reasonable (approximately the 76th 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.