Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to attend?

When you arrive, we ask you to make a donation. We operate on a ‘pay what you can afford’ basis. We appreciate that everyone’s situation is different so, although we suggest a donation of £5, some people pay more and others pay less.

A donation of any size entitles you to a vote and a bowl of soup.

How do the events run?

When you arrive, you’ll make your donation on the door. Then, we’ll give you a voting card (keep this safe!). The café will be open for drinks, and you can sit anywhere.

So get comfortable and say hello to others at your table. There will be printed leaflets on the tables introducing the night’s pitchers and giving you an idea of how the evening will unfold.

The event starts at about 7.00 pm, and you’ll hear from the four pitchers. Pitches will last around four minutes, and you’ll be able to ask questions. If they didn’t answer your question during the pitch, you can find them for a chat afterwards! We’ll announce where each pitcher is sat so you can find them easily.

Then the soup is served! Eat, chat, and have a think about how to cast your vote. You’ll write your preferred project on the voting card (there’ll be pens on the table) and drop it into a ballot box.

While the votes are being cast and counted, there is usually some music.

Once the winner has been announced, there’ll be more live music and a chance to grab another drink. You’ll be able to chat and reflect on the projects you’ve learned about. You’ll leave knowing you’ve made a huge difference to some great community projects.

Hopefully, you’ll have had fun and met a great community of people too!

When can I apply to pitch?

To ensure the pitches are super relevant, we open applications around a month before each event – and close them about a week before the event.

You can join our mailing list to be notified when applications open.

Does my project have to be based in Chesterfield?

Have SOUP, will travel!

Although we started in Chesterfield, we want to benefit projects all over Derbyshire. Our SOUP logo can be easily rebranded to match your locality.

So, if your project benefits a community based in Derbyshire, we want to hear from you.

How long should my pitch be?

Pitches should be four minutes long.

After you’re done pitching, we’ll choose a few members of the audience to ask some follow-up questions.

We’ll give you a signal so you know when you’re out of time, but don’t worry if you go over by a few seconds.

However, please keep in mind that if your pitch is much longer than four minutes, you won’t have as much time for questions – and it is important we keep the event on schedule!

Can I use PowerPoint?

We like to keep things simple and don’t allow the use of PowerPoint slides.

You’ll need to consider how to capture the audience’s attention and bring your project to life by sharing stories about any impact you’ve made so far – and any impact you hope to make in the future.

You are welcome to bring along props, hand-held visual aids, or flyers for people to read afterwards.

What should I include in my pitch?

Use your pitch time to inspire us!

The audience will want to hear what the project is and what you’ll do with the prize money.

Ultimately, pitching is simply about telling a story. Help us understand who you are, what you want to do, and why your project is important.

When planning your pitch, you might want to consider these questions:

1. Context: What is the project, and why is it important to you?

2. Current Day: How long has the project been running? Who has it impacted so far, and how have they been impacted?

3. Potential: How would you spend the SOUP micro-fund? How will this cash help you create more impact? Is there something unique about your project or idea?

You’re free to make your pitch your own, but we find that our audience particularly enjoys hearing about the successes you’ve had. If you can, bring your pitch to life with quotes or stories

So I’ve won the most votes, what next?

You’ll receive the micro-fund within ten working days of the event (it takes a few days for card payments to clear).

We can pay funds into a personal account for projects that do not have their own bank account.

SOUP offers ‘no-strings-attached’ funding, so there are no formal reporting requirements. However, our audience loves to hear updates from the projects they have helped fund. For this reason, we ask winning projects to provide us with an informal update for inclusion on our website – and to come along to a future event.