Acres of Diamonds

Suggested by one of CU’s own, Acres of Diamonds is based in Duvall, Washington state, where it takes in homeless mothers and their children, houses them, and works with them as long as necessary to get them back on their feet.

Last year, this meant 44 families and 50 children.

Focused, local, specific and effective. Acres of Diamond has been doing this for three decades.

While Acres is not a big charity, it is an impactful one.

Homelessness charities are hard to vet. Sometimes it seems there are more galas than beds provided. Not so with Acres of Diamonds.

Acres’s 2025 Annual Report is below.

I pulled the charity’s form 990, and this is what I found in Part IX.

Public support is 94.5% of revenue. Donors support the mission.

Check.

Fundraising costs are about $10.80 per $100 raised, and the executive director’s base salary is only $54,000, out of $3.3 million spent by the charity.

Spending last year amounted to about $50,000 per family.

Contributions have doubled over the last five years to $4 million in 2025.

The Charity’s expense ratio at first seems a little high at 21%, but this is an operations-heavy charity that carries real overhead related to the process of running the charity.

79% efficiency clears CharityWatch’s 75%, Charity Navigator’s 70%, and the Better Business Bureau standard at 60%.

Acres’s story is backed by its filings. I looked through dozens of charities for this month’s pick and I am reminded again how often I find disqualifying disclosures. This one checks the boxes, is clean, and its disclosures are not disqualifying.

Of course, the real story is the bona fide impact Acres of Diamonds has on the lives of women and children in dire need.

Acres of Diamonds is too small for the ratings watchdogs to investigate the charity, but the quality of the financials, the organization, and the impact are all easy to see.

Thank you all for putting your favorite charities out there. Keep those suggestions coming!

I am always looking for charities that may be smaller, without celebrity sponsorship or national media campaigns. Charities where our donations move the needle, and where a little exposure might be more effective in boosting efforts to help those in need.

As promised and as now is custom, 5% of gross revenue earned by Cassandra Unchained during the month of August 2026 will be donated to Acres of Diamonds.