About PeerSet
Nonprofit compensation benchmarks from IRS Form 990 data
PeerSet is a compensation benchmarking tool from RightStart, the consulting practice of Josh Green. It’s built for compensation consultants and nonprofit leaders.
What PeerSet does
You pick the organizations to compare against by sector, budget size and geography, then pick the role. PeerSet finds the nonprofits whose Form 990 filings match and shows what they report paying for that role, with the percentiles, the distribution and the trend. Anyone can download the Benchmark Summary PDF. The CSV needs a free account.
- Sector (NTEE code)
- Budget size
- Geography
- Role
Every rule the figures follow is published on the methodology page.
Why I built PeerSet
I’ve worked with a lot of nonprofits that paid expensive consultants to set executive compensation, even though the data was public. I wanted a solution for myself and for my clients, so I built PeerSet.
It’s for consultants like me and for the nonprofit leaders we work with.
Where the data comes from
Every figure starts from IRS Form 990 and Form 990-EZ returns that tax-exempt organizations file electronically. The IRS makes them public. Private foundation returns (Form 990-PF) are left out. The methodology page lists every source the data draws on and the licences that apply.
All figures use reportable compensation from the filing organization (Form 990, Part VII, Column D), which is salary, bonuses and other taxable pay. Columns E and F and total compensation are not used.
Organizations that file the short Form 990-EZ report pay on a different line, close to but not the same as Column D.
The results page shows “IRS data through” and a month. That’s the newest monthly IRS release PeerSet has loaded. Form 990 filings typically lag 12–24 months after fiscal year end.
How the data is checked
We don’t audit or verify the filings. The organizations prepare them, and they contain errors, omissions and out-of-date figures.
PeerSet applies the same published rules to every record. The methodology page lists them in full, and every Benchmark Summary PDF prints them. Job titles are matched to 13 roles. A title that can’t be matched with confidence is left out.
Not legal, tax or compensation advice. No guarantee. This tool is for information only. We do not verify the underlying filings and do not guarantee that any figure is accurate, complete or current. Compensation decisions are the responsibility of the organization and its governing body, which should consult qualified advisors.
Who’s behind PeerSet
Josh Green
Founder
PeerSet was built by Josh Green, a fractional COO and CFO who advises nonprofits and small businesses on financial modeling, governance, and executive compensation through his consulting firm, RightStart. He also built WageProof, which makes reasonable compensation reports for S-corp owners, CPAs, EAs and tax advisors from public Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data.
Get in touch
If you have a question about PeerSet or its data, email us.
Location
California, United States
See what comparable nonprofits pay
Build a peer set from Form 990 filings and see the percentiles for the role.