Oftentimes recognized as synonymous with the word "charity," a nonprofit is simply an organization that distributes its surplus revenues to the promotion of its mission, rather than as shared profits or dividends for the organization’s chiefs. Through celebrity endorsements and advertisements, a number of leading nonprofits have established household names for themselves, but while such wide-scale initiatives are important, they represent a small fraction of the operational nonprofits currently set on improving the world. The following list details three nonprofits that have demonstrated powerful commitments to furthering human development and implementing social services at the grassroots level.

1. Journeys Within Our Community

Founded in 2005 on the principle of “See a problem, solve a problem,” Journeys Within Our Community describes its mission to support “economic, educational and improved health opportunities through access to basic services such as clean water, microfinance, education, and community liaison programs” in Southeast Asia. In 2014 alone, JWOC reportedly financed a total of 81 scholarship students in Cambodia and Laos, secured clean drinking water for 3,000 people, and dispersed 272 loans to local communities through its microfinance program.

2. Solar Electric Light Fund

This Washington D.C. based nonprofit known as SELF (the Solar Electric Light Fund) tackles the problem of energy poverty with its innovative Whole Village Development Model. Using this method, SELF claims to take an “integrated approach to community empowerment using a mix of solar energy solutions to improve the lives of people who don’t have access to electricity” by analyzing unique communities and developing solutions that best fit their resources and needs. Since 1990, SELF has completed over 20 projects in more than 20 countries. Among its many accomplishments are: Pioneering unique applications of solar power for drip irrigation in Benin, health care in Haiti, telemedicine in the Amazon rainforest, online learning in South Africa, and microenterprise development in Nigeria.

3. Global Village Project

Located in Decatur, Georgia, the Global Village Project is a special purpose middle school, specifically created to serve refugee girls with interrupted schooling. Each year, they enroll between 30 and 40 girls emigrating from vulnerable countries worldwide into their tuition-free program. The GVP focuses on the individual needs of its diverse students by maintaining a low student-teacher ratio and focusing on English literacy. Upon successfully completing a GVP program, an astounding 90 percent of their students continue their formal education in public and private high schools, colleges, and GED or ESL programs.