One of the non-profit’s I support is the Kiva.org. It is a micro-loan organization that links capital providers (eg me) with businesses that need micro-loans in developing countries. It allows you to choose the loans you make and tracks the results for you.  I suggest you check it out.

Jacqueline Novogratz is pioneering new ways of tackling poverty. In her view, traditional charity rarely delivers lasting results. Her solution, outlined here through a series of revealing personal stories, is “patient capital”: support for “bottom of the pyramid” businesses which the commercial market alone couldn’t provide. The result: sustainable jobs, goods, services — and dignity — for the world’s poorest.