Kiva: Free $25 micro-loan for new users.

Just to be clear, this isn't a $25 loan for you, so don't start thinking about that new top you've been stalking online. Kiva offers micro-loans to individuals and groups of entrepreneurs in third-world countries who might not otherwise have access to funding for their small businesses or projects. You and other donors give money in $25 increments; the money is released to the individual; they pay you back on a payment plan, and the money is yours to withdraw or (hopefully) re-invest in someone else.

I'm a happy Kiva user and I like what they do, but unfortunately this offer won't work for me, because it's only for new users. Sign up for free and change someone's life!

Free $25 Kiva microloan to someone in a developing country.

Here's a freebie that's also a good deed: you can sign up with Kiva.org and loan out $25 to an entrepreneur in a developing country at no cost to you! Kiva connects people who want to lend relatively small sums of money with small-business owners who need short-term loans to help their business. So, for example, a dozen people lend $25 each, and a woman in the Philippines now has the $400 she needs to buy fish for her farmer's market stall. The lenders pay you back over time, and then the money is in your account for withdrawal or re-depositing.

I'm a Kiva lender and I really enjoy it - rarely, if ever, have I been defaulted on, and helping people to become independent and support themselves is a good feeling. If you're new to Kiva, check it out and lend someone $25 at no cost to you!