@Philanthropy Some Donors Flee #Komen 4 Other #Cancer Orgs ht.ly/8Yt0a 4 more #breastcancer orgs see @CharityNav…
— Charity Navigator (@CharityNav) February 10, 2012
A week after the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation reversed its decision to halt funds for breast cancer screenings at some Planned Parenthood affiliates, the organization is trying to rebuild trust among its longtime supporters, donors and the employees who run its local offices.
In an e-mail on Friday to supporters, Nancy G. Brinker, chief executive officer and co-founder, once again apologized for the controversy and what she described as distractions that have overshadowed the organization’s commitment to detect, treat and cure breast cancer.
“We have some mending of fences to do, but I hope that you know that we are as committed as ever to supporting critical research and taking care of the vulnerable women who rely on us,” said Ms. Brinker, who built the foundation into the largest breast cancer research advocacy group after her sister, Susan G. Komen, died of cancer more than 30 years ago.
But some longtime Komen supporters remain unhappy over the way the foundation initially slashed funds for Planned Parenthood to try to address complaints from abortion opponents who have boycotted Komen’s charity races for years. One campaign, started on Twitter, is called #takebackthepink.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that other breast cancer organizations are getting checks and calls from people who are looking for alternative groups to give donations to.
Some longtime Komen supporters say that Karen Handel, who resigned as senior vice president for policy earlier this week, should not be the only one to go. Ms. Handel, a Republican candidate for governor in Georgia who is opposed to abortion, was among the organization’s leaders who pushed for the change in financing requirements that resulted in the cut of about $700,000 to Planned Parenthood affiliates.
Eve Ellis, who served six years as a board member for Komen’s New York City affiliate, said she wanted to see Komen survive. For the organization to regain its footing, she said in a letter posted on a blog, Jewesses With Attitude, Ms. Brinker and board members should step down and allow a new management team to be assembled.
“I do not want this organization to disappear,” said Ms. Ellis, 54, a financial adviser for a Wall Street firm who, with family members, has helped raise $250,000 for Komen over the years. “We need Komen. There is no other organization that has funded as much breast cancer research and provided screenings as Komen. We need it to remain and to be strong.”
Ms. Brinker and other senior leaders at Komen have not responded to repeated requests for interviews. A spokeswoman for the organization flatly declined to comment or respond on Friday to a request for information about what steps Komen’s leaders were taking to rebuild.
On the Komen foundation’s main Twitter account, there is an effort to interact with some readers and include links from people who have made statements expressing their continued support.
Across the country, some executive directors of affiliates said they were trying to win back supporters with one-on-one meetings, long phone calls and posts on Facebook and Twitter.
In Los Angeles, the administrators of Komen’s LA Facebook page posted on Friday a collection of upbeat photos from past races. “Simply beautiful,” reads the update next to the photos. “Like it if you agree.”
But not everyone does. Martha Healy wrote in the comments, “I won’t ‘like’ it because I’m waiting at least a year to see what SGK does in terms of its politics and relationship with the breast cancer examinations etc from Planned Parenthood.”
Even after she was reminded that the Los Angeles affiliate was one of the seven California affiliates to publicly criticize Komen’s decision, Ms. Healy said she was directing her 2012 donation intended for Komen to Planned Parenthood instead.
In Aspen, Colo., Logan Hood, 28, executive director of the Komen affiliate there, said she worried about the turnout for a Komen ski race scheduled for Feb. 25.
She said she was heartened to open a letter on Friday from a longtime supporter that included a $500 check and a handwritten note, thanking her for standing up to Komen headquarters during the dispute.
When news broke about Komen’s decision, Ms. Hood purchased an advertisement in local newspapers stating that the Aspen affiliate wanted to continue to provide funds for Planned Parenthood.
“It was a letter to the community that we stand strong to our mission,” she said. “The women are the priority to Komen, and we remain strong to that commitment.”
While there has been some direction from Komen’s headquarters in Dallas, including a conference call last weekend, Ms. Hood said many of the executive directors of the affiliates around the country were turning to each other for help and support, exchanging ideas and lessons learned.
She described an uphill battle but she expressed determination to win back the organization’s community.
“The trust has been broken, and it is something that we are going to have to rebuild,” Ms. Hood said. “What we’re doing is going back to basics, letting people know what impact we have made, they have made in the community.”
Komen’s decision to restore funds to Planned Parenthood troubled anti-abortion groups that have been pressuring the organization for years to cut ties with the women’s health care provider because it performs abortions as part of its services.
Kristi S. Hamrick, a spokeswoman for one of the groups, Americans United for Life, said it was “unfortunate” that the Komen foundation came under attack from the “nation’s mega-provider of abortions.”
The organization is awaiting the results of a Congressional investigation into Planned Parenthood that could lead to the defunding of the organization in the end.
