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Cause IQ's benchmark tool allows you to compare executive compensation figures for key personnel from up to 500 organizations. Additionally, the tool generates reports showing averages, medians and specific data points from the Form 990 and Schedule J.

You can access the Cause IQ benchmark tool directly from the search interface by clicking the "Benchmark" tab in the middle of the page. Additionally, if you want to compare the compensation of personnel at specific organizations you've added to a list (manually or uploaded via CSV) select "Benchmark organizations and personnel" from the list's profile on your Dashboard. 

Here's where to access Cause IQ's benchmark tool from the search interface:

Here's a look at where you can access the benchmark tool directly from a list's profile:

Once you've accessed the benchmarking tool, you have the option to select what type of benchmark you want to run: "Organization details" or "Compensation of key personnel." You want to select "Compensation of key personnel." With this option selected, click "Next: Select fields and analysis" to choose which personnel and compensation fields you want to include in your benchmark report. Here's a look at the "Benchmark Type" step: 

Cause IQ identifies key personnel at organizations by their position levels (e.g., "Chief," "Director," "Board," etc.)and functions ("Executive," "Finance," "Accounting," etc.). For example, these levels and functions identify individuals with titles such as Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Accounting, Board member, etc.. Select the appropriate levels and functions for the individuals you want to include in your benchmark report. You can type in the "Position levels" and "Position functions" fields or select the drop-down arrow to view the available options. 

For more information on identifying personnel by their levels and functions, click here.

The next step is to choose the compensation fields you want to include in your benchmark report. The available fields from both the Form 990 and Schedule J are listed out for you. To select which fields you want to include in the report, simply click the box next to the field name. You see a couple "Analysis options," choosing "Normalize histogram chart (versus chart with equal-size columns)" includes the individual's names in the report and choosing "Anonymize peer personnel (hide their names and organizations)" excludes the individual's names in the report. Here's an overview video of the "Fields & Analysis" step:

With the "Fields & Analysis" step complete, it's time to generate your Cause IQ benchmarking report. For each compensation field selected, the customized report provides the location of the field (from the Form 990 or Schedule J), the number of people with the field filled out, the most recent average and median compensation values and the number of data points for each year. Additionally, the report includes graphs showing change over time details for both compensation figures and growth rate ranges by year. 

At the bottom of the report, you see a Personnel in benchmark table. The table includes the names of the benchmarked personnel, their job title(s), the organization they work for, and the most recent selected compensation fields. The column headers are sortable, clicking the compensation field sorts the personnel accordingly. If you want to remove an individual from your benchmark report, simply click on the "x" to the right of the individual's name.

Here's a look at a Cause IQ personnel compensation benchmarking report:

Cause IQ's "Benchmark" tool packages the benchmarked compensation information into an easy-to-download Excel file. From the "Report" stage, select "Download to Excel" and Cause IQ begins the download process. The Excel file includes an "Overview" worksheet that summarizes the segment of organizations and benchmarked compensation fields. The "Personnel" worksheet is where you find the names of the personnel, their job title(s), the organization they work for, the organizations' EINs, the corresponding Form 990 year, and the most recent selected compensation data. Here's a screenshot of where to download the benchmarked compensation Excel file: