Tora Chung shared something the other day that resonated. It was about the value of the "second banana."

"Being the second banana isn't about having less ambition. It's about having different ambitions. It's choosing sustainable impact over visible credit." — Tora Chung on LinkedIn

This is a role I thrive in. I love being behind the scenes, taking care of things. I'm an observer, a listener, a researcher, and a strategist.

At Ethical Methods, this shows up in how I work with clients. I partner with leadership and staff to find small ways to improve operations, keep communications flowing, and make websites and domain reputation work for them. Most of this is stuff other folks don't have time to think about, let alone fix.

It works best when I just have the keys to the shop. I can quietly operate in the background, fixing accessibility issues, cleaning up databases, removing clutter, repairing what's broken, improving processes. Simplify and improve, so everyone else can do their work.

Starting simple

The other day my daughter was talking about a problem at her job. End-of-day transitions at the daycare needed better handoffs between rooms, with child-specific information moving from one staff member to the next. Her solution: a shared whiteboard in the physical space. Start with the simplest thing that works. Then improve the process and the policy from there.

I was proud of her. That's the right instinct. Solve the obvious problem quickly and simply. Then look at what's underneath.

Small wins in nonprofit communications

A global nonprofit brought me in to help with an online training course. Within a few weeks, the scope had grown to include communications and operations.

That happens a lot. The first thing I check on any new engagement is DNS and hosting. Then I do a quick audit of the systems they're using — what's working, what's not, and what's redundant.

Here's what I found:

• Old shared hosting, with slow load times and weak security
• One incorrect DKIM record
• Incomplete DMARC and SPF setup
• A pile of unnecessary cPanel records cluttering the DNS
• A newsletter that hadn't shipped in over six months
• Poor deliverability scores and bounce rates on the last send

DKIM, SPF, and DMARC prove your email is really from you. Get them wrong and your newsletter won't land in anyone's inbox.

Here's what I did:

1. Cleaned up DNS and moved it to Cloudflare
2. Migrated the site from shared hosting to Pressable, a managed WordPress host — faster and more secure
3. Added Fathom, a non-creepy Google Analytics alternative
4. Cleaned the email list carefully (more on that below)
5. Moved some communications to MailerLite for better deliverability, list management, and design options
6. Sent the new newsletter in two batches — first to everyone who opened the last one, then to everyone else minus the bounces and risky addresses
7. Monitored the results

The site loads faster. The newsletter arrived, and open rates are over 50% after one week. The client can see what's working.

Next up are web forms: better accessibility, better data, fewer barriers for the people trying to engage and donate. I'll write more about that in a future newsletter.

Worried about your DNS? Just hit reply and I'll do a quick audit. No charge.

A warning about email "cleaning" tools

Not every list cleaner is the same. Some are owned by data brokers. NeverBounce, for example, was bought by ZoomInfo in 2019. ZoomInfo's core business is selling B2B contact data. That's very different from a tool that only verifies your list and deletes it.

Before you upload your list to any service, ask:

• Who owns the company?
• Where are the servers, and are they GDPR compliant?
• Do they auto-delete uploaded data, and on what timeline?
• Do they use your emails for anything beyond verification?

If the answers aren't clear and public, don't upload your list.

Check your domain reputation

Two free tools worth bookmarking:

• MXToolbox — blacklist check and DNS lookup
• Mail Tester — test the spammyness of your emails

Worth your time

The WebAIM Million

"95.9% of home pages had detected WCAG 2 failures. This number increased from 94.8% in 2025…"

Claude Mythos Is Everyone's Problem — The Atlantic

"What happens when AI can hack everything?"

Y2K 2.0: AI security — Anil Dash

"It's a bit like the acceleration of the climate crisis; nobody knows how to build a system resilient enough to handle a 'storm of the century' every year. Nobody knows how to properly communicate about, and respond to, the 'exploit of the year' if it's happening every six hours."

Integrity Matters on preparing for federal immigration operations

"Minnesota small business owners have reflected on their experience protecting their businesses and communities from rampaging federal immigration agents. These business owners hope what they learned can help their counterparts in other states get ready for immigration operations in their communities."

Stephanie L. Moore, Ph.D. on ethics as embodied practice

"This also means that ethics only become real by way of our actions and choices — they are embodied, in our choices, in our processes, in our practices — not disembodied words or lists."

Be well. Be kind. ☮️❤️