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Nonprofit compensation, explained.

Practical, plain-English guides to executive pay, the §4958 reasonableness process, and building board decisions that hold up — written by the compensation consultant behind CauseComp.

§4958 Compliance What Counts as “Appropriate Comparability Data” for Nonprofit Executive Pay?

The four forms of §4958 comparability data — and what makes a peer set “appropriate” for your organization's budget, sector, and geography rather than merely available.

the consultant behind CauseComp· 6 min read
§4958 Compliance The Rebuttable Presumption of Reasonableness: How Nonprofit Boards Protect Executive Pay Decisions

The three-step safe harbor under Treas. Reg. §53.4958-6 that shifts the burden of proof to the IRS — advance approval by an independent body, appropriate comparability data, and contemporaneous documentation.

the consultant behind CauseComp· 6 min read
Board Governance How to Document a Nonprofit Executive Pay Decision (So It Holds Up Later)

What a compensation committee's minutes must contain to establish the §4958 rebuttable presumption — and the documentation failures that quietly break it.

the consultant behind CauseComp· 6 min read
§4958 Compliance IRC §4958 Intermediate Sanctions: The Personal Tax Risk Behind Nonprofit Executive Pay

How IRC §4958 puts personal excise-tax exposure on executives and the board members who approve their pay — disqualified persons, excess benefit transactions, and the penalties.

the consultant behind CauseComp· 5 min read
§4960 Excise Tax The Section 4960 Excise Tax: When Nonprofit Pay Crosses $1 Million

The 21% excise tax on nonprofit pay over $1 million and excess parachute payments — who's a covered employee, what counts as remuneration, and how boards manage the exposure.

the consultant behind CauseComp· 5 min read