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The Executive Director of International Animal Rescue (IAR) is the principal representative and the person responsible for the efficient operation of IAR. Therefore, it is the desire of IAR to provide a fair yet reasonable and not excessive compensation for the Executive Director (and any other highly compensated employees and consultants).
The annual process for determining compensation is as follows: IAR’s Board shall annually evaluate the Executive Director on his/her performance, and ask for his/her input on matters of performance and compensation.
Board Approval
Within the Board, there will be an Executive Compensation Committee (ECC) which will obtain research and information to make a recommendation to the full board for the compensation (salary and benefits) of the Executive Director (and other highly compensated employees or consultants) based on a review of comparability data. For example, the ECC will secure data that documents compensation levels and benefits for similarly qualified individuals in comparable positions at similar organizations. This data may include the following:
- Salary and benefit compensation studies by independent sources;
- Similar positions advertised at both nonprofit and for-profit organizations; and
- Information obtained from the annual returns of similar organizations.
Concurrent Documentation
To approve the compensation for the Executive Director (and other highly compensated employees and consultants) the board must document how it reached its decisions, including the data on which it relied, in minutes of the meeting during which the compensation was approved. Documentation will include:
a) A description of the compensation and benefits and the date it was approved;
b) The members of the board who were present during the discussion about compensation and benefits, and the results of the vote;
c) A description of the comparability data relied upon and how the data was obtained; and
d) Any actions taken (such as abstaining from discussion and vote) with respect to consideration of the compensation by anyone who is otherwise a member of the board but who had a conflict of interest with respect to the decision on the compensation and benefits.
Independence in Setting Compensation
The ECC will operate independently without undue influence from the Executive Director. No member of the ECC will be a staff member, the relative of a staff member, or have any relationship with staff that could present a conflict of interest.
Date approved: October 7, 2021