Kiva
I'm really supportive of the microfinance idea - give small loans to poor people, who can then use the money to help support themselves better. Kiva (www.kiva.org ) is a great way to loan $25 at a time this way.
Last year I was notified that one of my loans had defaulted - this is rare, and usually due to a major crisis with the recipient. Since it was the first loan I had made, and the lady was about my own age, I had a bit more attachment to this loan than to the later ones.
I just got an email today saying that the default notice was a computer error. Fadila is doing fine, and still raising her chickens bought with the loan money. I'm delighted.
The biggest problem now is that lots of people have heard about Kiva, and the organization is actually having a hard time keeping up with posting loan requests. This morning, there was no one to re-lend to, and as soon as a request popped up, it was immediately covered. (Most of us just take the repayments and then turn around and give them to another applicant.) That's not a bad thing, of course, especially in this economy.