“Public Relations Disaster” is not necessarily the type of headline you expect to follow a funding announcement. But when you are the largest, most visible breast cancer organization, and you pull annual funding for breast cancer screenings from the largest provider of reproductive health services, a political, religious and ethical firestorm is inevitable.

The reasons for the firestorm are obvious, as both sides have very strong and personal beliefs about very delicate issues.

Regardless of your political or religious beliefs, it’s clear Komen mishandled the announcement of its decision to stop funding to Planned Parenthood for breast exams. Rather than empathy in its delivery, Komen presented what felt like a defensive stance on its decision and ignited outcry across the country. I know I’m not alone in wondering, did anyone really think this through?

However, the controversy offers PR lessons for other organizations who must communicate decisions that may ignite passion.

PR Lesson 1: Define how you position your announcement. Was the point to announce Komen’s new grant policy? Was the intention to make a political statement? Regardless, when the announcement came out, all people heard was “Komen pulls funding for Planned Parenthood.” Details beyond that statement, such as the amount of money being pulled (just under $700,000) or the number of exams Komen funding covers (170,000 over the last five years), didn’t have a chance to emerge. Key facts of the decision were lost in the shuffle. In that positioning, especially nowadays, you must consider the social media ramifications. This case provides another example of how Twitter and other social media channels can prove damaging, rapid distributors of information, as both sides vehemently voiced opinions and alliances.

PR Lesson 2: Employee support is crucial. Make sure employees, especially senior leadership and public figures, are on board with the decision. Departures in the wake of crisis, and internal contrarian voices, speak volumes. Komen has had several, very public, departures that brought to question the internal intricacies of the decision.

PR Lesson 3: Have a little foresight. Think through all of the potential scenarios. No one can predict the future, but it doesn’t take much to recognize the potential tidal wave Komen was going to create by disassociating with Planned Parenthood. When dealing with sensitive issues, make sure empathy is a big part of your messaging. Be ready to really stand by your decision. Map out the various scenarios and have a plan in place for all of them. Equally as important, make sure you have a communications team that is empowered and competent enough to navigate the waters of a controversial situation. Komen’s handling showed little preparation and, for that, it paid the price. You never want to be scrambling in the midst of a crisis.

In the end, Komen retracted its decision, the Senior VP attributed with spearheading the controversial decision stepped down and Komen’s iconic pink ribbon was left damaged, even after the decision reversal. You have to wonder, did anyone really win? Planned Parenthood, perhaps, since it received an influx of $3 million in donations as a result of the controversy. But financial gain at the expense of the damaged image of an organization focused on cancer prevention is a topic for a whole other blog post.