Executive Compensation at Paralyzed Veterans of America (2022)

The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 based in Washington, DC (although the organization has 73 offices and 34 chapters throughout the country).

Established in 1947, PVA has a core mission of vets serving vets, funding spinal cord research, and advocating for disability rights, according to their website. So, the question most donors want to know is:  how much of my donation goes to the organization’s core mission?  The answer:  about 30% in 2022 with the remainder spent on a mail program (45%), advertising (6%), grants (5%), and the unspent revenue (14%) added to the general fund.

Key financial information reported by PVA to the IRS on the Form 990 (for the year ending June 30, 2022) include the following:

$127 million in total revenue was reported most of which ($105 million) came from contributions, gifts, and grants.

Expenses totaled $109 million (86% of revenue) with the two (2) largest expenses being the “mail program” ($57 million) and compensation ($24 million) for the staff.  265 employees received $24 million in compensation which equates to an average compensation of $91,000.  33 employees received more than $100,000 in compensation with the 10 most highly compensated reported to be:

• $255,585:  Cheryl Topping, CFO
• $252,327:  William Blake, Executive Director
• $197,198:  David Fanning, Sr Director, Planned and Strategic Dev
• $204,408:  Leonard Selfon, General Counsel
• $190,217:  Peter Gaytan, AED of Veterans Benefits
• $196,129:  Shaun Castle, Deputy Executive Director
• $182,628:  Andrew McKenzie, Director of IT
• $176,385:  Mark Lichter, Director of Architecture
• $169,505:  Heather Ansley, AED of Gov’t
• $163,937:  Linda Blajhut, Deputy General Counsel

7 of the 10 most highly compensated employees are male while 3 are female.

PVA paid for companion travel. Specifically, PVA paid for an attendant to accompany board members and corporate officers for their medical needs.

81 independent contractors received more than $100,000 in compensation. The five (5) most highly compensated independent contractors were reported to be:

• $52 million:  Edge Direct, of Baltimore, MD for gifts/mail program
• $ 3 million:  US Postmaster, of Washington, DC for mail delivery
• $ 2 million:  Aegis Premier Tech, Tulsa, OK for data management
• $ 1 million:  Lake Group Media, of Armonk, NY for data management
• $ 1 million:  Aegis Processing Solutions, of Topeka, KS for gift/mail program

As illustrated above, PVA spent significant revenue ($52 million) on the gifts/mail program.

To read the IRS Form 990 (2021 for the year ending June 30, 2022), click here.