Deseret News best of 2012: Care for the poor

When Charity Navigator launched 10 years ago, the nonprofit world was embroiled in scandal. At Covenant House, the largest privately funded agency in the U.S. providing shelter and food to homeless and runaway youth, the founder and CEO had been accused of sexual and financial misconduct. William Aramony, CEO of United Way, was facing criminal charges for fraud. Concerned, self-made millionaire couple John P. and Marion Dugan went looking for a third-party, objective source of information to help guide them in their giving.

There were already a few organizations, like Guidestar, on the scene that supplied information about nonprofits for donors. But the Dugans wanted experts to interpret the complex reports for them. And they wanted it to be free of charge.

Read the full report here: Websites shine light on charities