You might think about charity as something you do with the extra change you find lying around, or by supporting a friend running in a local race. That's how we used to feel – until we learned how much even a modest amount of charity can accomplish when given to the right organizations.

It's common for charities to make big promises, and in most cases they can't deliver. But after researching hundreds of charities and the programs they carry out, we've found a few that can truly demonstrate impact - and with these charities, your donation can make a huge difference. For example:

• VillageReach. In parts of the developing world, many people don't have access to basic life-saving vaccines to prevent diseases like measles. Often, the reason they don't have access isn't that there's no money to buy the vaccines; the needed vaccines may be available nearby. The problem is often that the system for distributing the vaccines is problematic, such that the vaccines never reach the people who need them. VillageReach aims to improve the logistics - particularly tracking and distribution of supplies - for health systems in rural areas in Africa. VillageReach's pilot project had strong results, significantly improving vaccination rates in the area they served. These vaccines are proven to prevent deaths from disease. We estimate that giving $500-1,000 to VillageReach likely saves a person's life. When we investigated VillageReach's results and claims carefully, they held up. For our detailed analysis and investigation, see our full review of VillageReach.
• Nurse-Family Partnership. Early childhood is key to proper social and cognitive development. The Nurse-Family Partnership focuses on the period from 6-months prior to birth through a child's second birthday, sending registered nurses to perform regular visits to low-income mothers in order to counsel them on issues such as birth spacing, child nutrition, and maintaining a safe and supportive environment. Repeated gold-standard (randomized, controlled trials) studies of this program have shown lasting differences -- reduced chance of ending up in prison or using alcohol as a teenager, improved academic performance in elementary school -- between those who did and didn’t participate in the program. For our detailed analysis and investigation, see our full review of Nurse-Family Partnership.

Next: The wrong donation can accomplish nothing