One major pitfall we find with Ask Events^™ in year two and beyond is the temptation to deviate from the formula—to "get creative." Changing the time of year, changing the dollar levels of your Units of Service^™, adding in other items to the pledge card (like the mention of a capital campaign or endowment), or adding a more traditional outside speaker to the program will each lead you astray.

Two of the other biggest mistakes groups often make in subsequent Ask Events are not related to the program at all, but rather have to do with that key leverage point: the Table Captains. First, there is the temptation to rely more and more on board members to be your core group of Table Captains. The fastest way for an event to stagnate and ultimately fail over time is to have this be just another version of strong-arming the board to invite their same group of friends to fill a table. Second, there is the corollary to that: the need for new Table Captains each year. This requires diligent monthly Point of Entry^® Events where at least 25% of the guests refer others to subsequent Point of Entry Events.

If, even for one year, you slack off on the model, you will see the results in the bottom line of your Ask Event. The formula is so clearly spelled out and easy to follow—you should not need to make these mistakes. Rather, you should experience increasingly successful Ask Events each year as the model grows your base of mission-centered lifelong individual donors.