We generally recommend that your Ask Event^™ have a theme each year and that you tie that theme to your needs. At the school where we designed the model, the Ask Event is still called the Sponsor-a-Student Breakfast, but the theme changes each year. One year we used a "back to school" theme. Other years we focused on the dreams of our students, on alumni stories, on supportive family members, and on the teachers.

This way, though the generic program elements remain the same—Visionary Leader^™ Talk, video, Testimonial Speaker, etc.—the program content is very different each year.

For example, in the year that our theme was "supportive families," the Visionary Leader Talk was about the essential role of the families in ensuring each child's success at the school. The Testimonial Speaker was a grandmother who spoke about the impact of the school on her grandson. The video included three stories of traditional and non-traditional families whose children were attending the school.

The Visionary Leader Talk is a good opportunity to link your theme to your organization's mission. Phrases like, "our dream is to not have to turn away any family with a child in need," can tie your vision to the theme. Rely on your mission statement for the overarching vision; people never tire of that.

So, keep the name and the program elements of your Ask Event the same, but let each year's theme determine the focus of the program elements.