Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Melissa Jarzynski, Executive Director / CEO ($21,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 58 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 19th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations
Benchmarked executive: Melissa Jarzynski — reported title “VICE PRESIDENT”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable 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 NY 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central New York Regional Emergency | NY | $261,182 | Excutive Director | $90,934 | $88,590 | 2025 |
| Help Me Grow Pediatric Rehab Services | NH | $256,370 | Executive Director | $22,500 | $22,991 | 2024 |
| Wilderwood Equine Therapy | NM | $263,853 | Executive Di | $81,625 | $97,155 | 2024 |
| Gestalt Training Institute Of Philadelphia Inc | PA | $252,225 | Ex. Director Until 1/20/23 | $61,300 | $69,649 | 2023 |
| Hopewell Ranch Inc | MI | $251,146 | Executive Di | $21,300 | $25,048 | 2023 |
| Heartstrides Therapeutic Riding | WA | $251,000 | Founding Director | $60,625 | $60,067 | 2024 |
| Adaptive Physical Education | CA | $246,621 | Vice President | $62,388 | $59,618 | 2024 |
| Healing Reins Of Kentucky Inc | KY | $271,770 | Director | $14,095 | $16,758 | 2024 |
| Meg Foundation | CO | $238,925 | Executive Director | $122,019 | $129,480 | 2024 |
| Center For Adaptive Riding | NV | $280,867 | Former Executive Director | $10,500 | $11,647 | 2024 |
| Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship Inc | AZ | $281,224 | President | $80,291 | $85,453 | 2024 |
| Genuine Animate Navigate Assist Succeed | CA | $281,355 | Executive Director | $77,542 | $76,287 | 2023 |
| Childrens Therapy Clinic | WV | $281,494 | Executive Director | $51,325 | $63,315 | 2023 |
| Watch Us Farm Inc | IN | $281,604 | Executive Director | $13,000 | $15,171 | 2024 |
| The Medicine Horse Center | CO | $233,473 | Executive Dir. | $63,232 | $67,098 | 2024 |
| Rascal Rodeo | WA | $287,600 | Executive Director | $76,664 | $75,958 | 2024 |
| Willow Creek Ranch Inc | WI | $287,616 | Executive Director | $32,261 | $37,286 | 2024 |
| Boise Services Group Inc | ID | $287,658 | President | $65,828 | $77,496 | 2024 |
| Small Miracles Therapeutic | TN | $229,287 | Executive Di | $51,482 | $59,886 | 2024 |
| Manes And Motions Therapeutic Riding | CT | $291,123 | President & Ceo | $19,923 | $20,672 | 2024 |
| Grow Pediatric Therapy Services | MO | $291,608 | Secretary | $250 | $293 | 2024 |
| Mini Therapy Horses | CA | $220,491 | Director | $27,588 | $26,363 | 2024 |
| Willowind Therapeutic Riding Center Inc | ME | $303,502 | Executive Director | $94,308 | $104,506 | 2024 |
| Remount Foundation | CO | $212,567 | Founder | $42,778 | $46,735 | 2023 |
| Hilltop Horizons Inc | PA | $211,681 | Executive Di | $38,462 | $42,446 | 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.
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.
Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:
| Basis | Subject percentile |
|---|---|
| Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default | 19th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 19th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 19th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 12th |
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.