So what would it be like to come and pitch at a BrightonSoup event?

Well doors open an hour before the pitches start. So people can come in, get a drink, biscuit maybe, look around and find somewhere to sit. We like you to arrive early and put out posters and leaflets about your project for people to check out.

Then we’re ready to start the pitches.

Pitching

We usually have 4 projects to be pitched. When it’s your turn you stand up and speak for 4 minutes, explaining what your project is and how the money would help. Then answer a few audience questions. There’s no presentation or slides, no tech, we keep it old school: just you talking to people (well you can have a prop or an outfit – we don’t mind it being fun 🙂 )

We offer pitch training if you’re not used to doing something like this. We have some great people to advise and help you figure what to say, picking out the important parts you need to get across – and how best to say it. This training is so handy you’ll find it helping you in others aspect of your life and work.

It takes about 40 minutes for all 4 presenters to finish, then it’s eating and voting time.

Eating & Voting

We will have 4 or 5 delicious soups prepared for us by local chefs, mostly gluten free vegetarian/vegan and a selection of breads, cakes and other tasty items that people have brought along. So now it’s time to get some food and mingle. It may sound daunting, but this isn’t a room full of hard-faced investors, these are really friendly people who came along because they want to get involved and help. They paid the £4 entry donation knowing it’s going to do some good.

Some people will come looking for you anyway. They may have questions or want to offer you help – materials or skills, offers of training or volunteers. You’re connecting with people, getting your idea out there and you’re surrounded by people wanting to get involved. It’s not all about the money.

After ¾ hour or so depending on how busy it is, we close the vote.

Entertainment

Then it’s time to count votes and money. It may be nail-biting time for you, but we hope to pass the time with our raffle draw and some great musical entertainment provided by local artists. After about 20 minutes or so we get a quick update from a previous winner. The we announce the night’s winner.

It can be a fun evening, where you get a chance to meet interesting people who may be able to help you with your project. We can’t promise you’ll win, but we believe you will find it a genuinely rewarding experience.

So who can pitch?

Anyone! That’s the great thing about it. You don’t have to be part of an organisation or business. You don’t need a “business plan” or anything formal. The only condition is that it has to be something charitable that will benefit the communities of Brighton & Hove.

So it can just be you with a really great idea that you want to get started, asking for money and help. You talk about it to a group of eager people, and if you’re idea gets enough of them interested – you just might get them to back you.

How cool is that?

You still have time to submit.

Team Soup