We recently met with Journalist Robin Raskin, whose daughter has been working on a project that we thought might be of interest to our members. We don't recommend, or have a view on your investments at Covestor, but this seemed worthy of highlight. 

MicroPlace allows you to lend money to the working poor around the world - to help them to build their own small businesses, and thereby to work their way out of poverty. As she put it:

Yesterday was the
website launch of MicroPlace, an online marketplace where you can invest your
money directly in microfinance institutions all over the world. My organization,
Calvert Social Investment Foundation, has been working with eBay to develop this
site. We've created a platform where the common investor (that's you), at the
click of a button, can support development in some of the world's poorest
countries. We are really excited about it! And we want to spread the word.

You can read coverage about them in The New York Times, BusinessWeek and on Yahoo Finance. If you are thinking about something to do with unused cash, this sounds like a great way to get more than just a financial return..