What You Can Do in Five Minutes
Newsletter #99
This Week:
A Good Reminder
Our End-of-Year Checklist is Back
Spotted
Before We Go…
1. In Five Minutes, It’s Possible
Last week, old friends were in town for Thanksgiving. Dan Kully, now a partner at Seattle-based KMM Strategies, and his wife Maritza Rivera, a member of the Seattle City Council, were nearby. Dan and I go back 30 years to Senator Bob Kerrey’s office. We wanted to see each other. Schedules did not align. The perfect plan for a long dinner or lunch was not going to happen.
So I tried something different.
“Come over to our house for five minutes,” I said. “Just so we can be together and say hello.”
2. End-of-Year Checklists: Giving Campaign Ideas
How is it already December? As we close out the year, we’re revisiting our end-of-year checklist series. Let’s start with end-of-year giving. Here are some ways to boost your fundraising and start 2026 off strong.
3. Spotted
Great communicators bring experience and skill—but they also rely on strong instincts. We loved this perspective from Jen Becker.
4. Before We Go…
From PR Daily | The new rules for knowing when to speak up or stay silent.
A new “Shared Values Model” can help you decide whether your organization should make a statement in the wake of a social or political incident.
A new survey from the News Literacy Project found that 84% of U.S. teenagers (ages 13–18) describe the news media with negative terms like “biased,” “confusing,” or “fake,” with many believing journalists commonly manipulate facts, fabricate quotes or images, and rarely correct mistakes.
From Jennifer George on LinkedIn | Commentary on the Campbell’s Soup response.
Last week, a member of Campbell’s leadership team was caught on a recording referring to the company’s products as “food for poor people,” among other troubling remarks. Here’s a thoughtful perspective on the company’s response from a Chief Communications Officer.
Here’s one thing you can easily accomplish in five minutes (less, even!): forward this newsletter to your communications colleagues.