Charity advent calendar for a nonprofit in France

A charity advent calendar over 24 days, one story or goal per door, with no daily prizes and no prize draw, and the rules you need to know in France.

In short A charity advent calendar runs 24 days, from 1 to 24 December, with a story, a goal with an amount or a concrete gesture that your nonprofit makes visible each day. It does not rely on daily prizes: any prize draw falls under the raffle rules. Prepare it in three weeks, with 5 to 10 people.

This article describes the rules in France.

The advent calendar is already part of December habits. A nonprofit can use it to tell its story in 24 small steps, instead of asking for one big gift. Here is how to build it, which rules to follow and how to bring it to life with WeGlow.world.

Why an advent calendar for a nonprofit?

Every morning, your supporters open a door and discover a fact, a face or a goal. This daily appointment builds a habit, far more than a single email.

The calendar suits small teams: the content is prepared in advance and scheduled. It also fits into the rest of your Christmas campaign. To compare other formats, read our overview of Christmas campaign ideas for a nonprofit.

A story or a goal every day

The idea is simple: each door opens either a story or a goal funded by the day's donations. You can mix the two. What matters is that the donor sees what their gesture changes, with no promise you could not keep.

  • A story: the portrait of a volunteer, of a beneficiary (with their consent), of a day at the nonprofit.
  • A goal: €30 for a hot meal, €60 for a pair of sports shoes, €150 for a workshop.
  • Behind the scenes: a visit to the warehouse, a message from the team, a photo of the premises.
  • A thank you: the names, with their consent, of the previous day's donors.

A sample 24-day calendar

Here is a model to adapt. Keep the same rhythm every day, at the same time, so your supporters know when to come back.

  • Days 1 to 6: present your mission, your team and a first simple goal.
  • Days 7 to 12: tell stories of beneficiaries and volunteers.
  • Days 13 to 18: offer goals with amounts, one per day, with a visible counter.
  • Days 19 to 23: send reminders, show the progress so far and say thank you.
  • Day 24: the big thank you and the results of the fundraiser.

No daily prizes without raffle rules

It is tempting to offer a prize to win every day. Be careful: as soon as a prize draw rewards participants who have given or paid, you enter the regime of lotteries and raffles. This cannot be improvised.

For a nonprofit, the raffle remains permitted under conditions. The proceeds must go to a social, humanitarian, educational or cultural purpose. Prizes are in kind, never in cash. The prior authorisation of the mayor of your registered office is required, using the Cerfa form no. 11823 (in Paris, the police prefecture). Remote lotteries are not permitted for a nonprofit: a daily online draw is therefore ruled out. Penalties can reach €90,000 in fines and 3 years in prison.

The safest course is to draw nothing at random. Replace the daily prize with a reward that does not depend on chance: a thank you card, a video message from the team, a photo of what the gift made possible. For the details of the rules, consult the French public service website service-public.gouv.fr (source at the bottom of the page).

Gifts and the tax receipt

A gift to an eligible nonprofit entitles the donor to a tax reduction of 66% of the amount, within the limit of 20% of taxable income. The 75% rate applies only to organisations that help people in difficulty, up to €2,000 of gifts made since 14 October 2025. Above that, 66% applies.

The proof is the tax receipt (reçu fiscal), issued by the nonprofit: not for profit, run on a disinterested basis, without a restricted circle of beneficiaries. If you give something in return, its value must not exceed a quarter of the gift, with a cap of €65 per year, otherwise the reduction is not granted. Ask the French tax office whether your nonprofit is eligible.

Announcing the calendar by email

An announcement email at the start of December, then a weekly reminder, are enough. Avoid sending a message every day: let the page or social media carry the daily appointment. For message templates, see our guide on organising a Christmas campaign in France.

On the data side, a nonprofit may approach people for charitable purposes (prospection caritative) without prior consent, provided the person was told when their data was collected and can object simply and free of charge to each mailing. If your email sells a product (paper calendar, chocolate), consent is safer. If in doubt, consult the CNIL (the French data protection authority).

How to do it with WeGlow.world

With WeGlow.world, you create a donation page in three steps: amount, personal details, summary. It accepts one-off and monthly gifts, with a label per amount (for example "a hot meal"), and works on mobile. The donor enters their first name and email address.

A thank you text, if you fill one in, then goes out automatically by email. Your supporters can also start their own action page to raise funds around them, which gives the calendar a much wider reach than your own contact list.

You can also give each gift a visible form. The Christmas experiences of WeGlow.world are still concepts, before the official launch. In the Starry Sky, every gift becomes a star and the visitor flies from star to star: 24 days, a constellation that grows. In the Glow Room, every gift becomes a decoration on the tree, in a 3D living room. Also discover the Gift Yard and the Card Wall.

More details in our article on the online Christmas campaign. Ready to begin? Start free with an account, or contact us to follow the launch.

A three-week plan

An advent calendar is prepared before 1 December. Allow three weeks and 5 to 10 people, split between content, images, the donation page and social media.

  1. Week 1: set the overall goal, write the 24 doors and ask for the consent of the people mentioned.
  2. Week 2: create the donation page, write the thank you text, schedule the posts and test with a few friends.
  3. Week 3: announce the calendar, invite your supporters to start their action page and check that everything is ready 48 hours before the start.

Frequently asked questions

Can I offer a prize to win every day?

Only if you follow the raffle rules: prior authorisation from the mayor, prizes in kind, proceeds for a general interest purpose, draw held on site. An online draw is not permitted for a nonprofit. The simplest course is to give up prizes.

Do I need authorisation for an online advent calendar?

A simple donation page does not need the mayor's authorisation that applies to a raffle. Above €153,000 raised from the public, a declaration to the prefecture is required, and a donation button on a website already counts as an appeal for public generosity. Check with your prefecture.

Do donors receive a tax receipt?

Your nonprofit issues it, if it is eligible. We do not promise here that WeGlow.world sends tax receipts in France. Ask the French tax office whether your nonprofit can issue them.

How many people does it take to prepare it?

Allow 5 to 10 people over three weeks: content, images, the donation page and social media.

Are the Christmas experiences already available?

Not officially yet. They are concepts, visible as a demo, until the official launch. See the WeGlow.world Christmas page to follow their progress.

Sources

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