Amid Komen flap, a frantic 24 hours for agencies in Twin Cities

The swiftness of the backlash and its intensity online were unparalleled, said Jon Pratt, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. He called it "stakeholder resistance," and said its power has exploded with the spread of social media.

"Nonprofit [leaders] can't just manage an organization and its budget anymore," said Pratt. "There's a ready channel for people to weigh in and make themselves known, especially to each other. It's almost like you've got a crowd going, 'That's right!'"