With a donor-advised fund from Schwab Charitable, for instance, people can use up to 10% of the money in their charitable accounts to guarantee microloans — loans of a few hundred dollars or more made to needy people usually to develop or expand a small business. The program runs in concert with Grameen Foundation, a global microfinance nonprofit that provides capital to microlenders in poor communities.
It works this way: If one of the microfinance organizations being guaranteed fails, it gets a portion of the donors’ funds so it can meet its obligations. If the lenders don’t default, the money stays in the charitable account.
Another option: A number of microlending Web sites such as Kiva.org allow people to make small loans to individuals (of $25 and up), such as a Peruvian entrepreneur starting a local basket-weaving business. They get their money back within six to 12 months. Then, they can funnel the money into another loan, donate it to Kiva or return it to their bank account.