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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

American Legion Post 13

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 920012891
AK · NTEE W30Z
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Margaret Carls, Executive Director / CEO ($33,600) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 77 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 56th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Margaret Carls — reported title “MANAGER”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

77 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 77 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$802 total compensation of comparable organizations → $612,168 $33,600
$2,23610th
$11,53425th
$31,207Median
$50,62275th
$77,90990th
$33,600This org · 56th
p10$2,236
p25$11,534
p50$31,207
p75$50,622
p90$77,909
$33,600

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 AK 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
Lutheran Military Veterans IN$227,755 Executive Di $62,385 $66,839 2024
Knott Alone--hold Fast VA$225,184 Ceo $16,197 $15,888 2024
Veterans Of Foreign Wars MN$224,089 Quartermast $9,705 $10,030 2023
South Dade Womens Veterans Alliance Inc FL$229,790 Ceo/executive Director $65,936 $62,930 2024
Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 614 NM$221,500 Commander $12,301 $13,095 2025
Lake County Honor Flight IL$234,502 Executive Director $28,680 $29,492 2023
Warrior Strong Inc PA$236,873 President $75,385 $76,376 2024
Veterans Of Foreign Wars CA$216,406 Commander $2,020 $1,772 2024
Dunham House Inc NE$239,278 Executive Director $110,000 $120,200 2024
Burn Pits 360 TX$239,581 Director $60,000 $60,977 2024
Armed Forces Services Center MN$240,858 Executive Di $48,677 $47,607 2025
Watson & Black American Legion Post 126 PA$242,753 Manager $19,624 $20,469 2023
Enlisted Assoc Of Natl Guard O TN$244,860 Exec Asst $41,000 $43,785 2024
Peoples Foundation For Connecting Community Military & Veterans CA$207,511 Secretary $1,500 $1,355 2023
Dtom 220 Foundation SD$207,188 Ceo, Chairman Of The Board $36,040 $41,603 2023
American Legion Morris Snuggerud Post Membership WI$207,094 3rd Vice Commandergm $51,688 $54,843 2024
Hevin WA$203,834 Vice-presden $25,750 $23,422 2024
Amigo Air Sho Inc TX$250,000 Ceo $30,707 $31,207 2024
American Legion Post 233 IL$250,649 Manager $43,705 $43,653 2024
Patriot Military Family Foundation NC$250,832 Executive Director $19,500 $21,075 2023
Pymatuning Veterans Home Assn PA$202,671 President $10,400 $10,537 2024
American Veterans Service Dog IL$201,691 Treasurer - $28,800 $29,615 2023
Lafayette War Veterans CA$201,261 Center Director $96,658 $87,301 2023
Veterans Of Foreign Wars Of The United CA$199,976 Treasurer $42,000 $36,846 2024
North Shore Veterans Counseling MA$197,898 Executive Di $53,000 $48,386 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to AK 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 AK 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 default56th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)55th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted57th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted52nd

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 (Margaret Carls) 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 77 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (W30), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $33,600 is reasonable (approximately the 56th 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.