Charity advent calendar online for Irish charities

Plan an online advent calendar for your Irish charity: 24 days, one story or goal a day, daily emails with opt-in, and clear limits on prizes and raffles.

In short An online advent calendar for an Irish charity gives you 24 days, one story or goal a day, and one clear reason to give each morning. Plan it for 5 to 6 weeks, keep daily emails opt-in only, and skip daily prize draws until you have checked the lottery rules. A donation page does the rest.

An advent calendar suits a small team, because the work is writing, not logistics. You prepare 24 short stories or goals, publish one a day from 1 December, and let supporters follow along and give. This guide shows how to build one for an Irish charity.

What is a charity advent calendar online?

It is a page where each day from 1 to 24 December opens a new door, and behind each door sits one story, one goal or one thank you. Supporters return daily, and every door carries a way to give.

It differs from the cardboard calendar with sweets. Nothing is hidden behind a prize. The reward is the story: what a gift of 10 euro or 25 euro does today, and what you reached yesterday.

It differs from a one off Christmas appeal too: it asks for attention for 24 days, and it needs words and photos, not stalls or a venue. A team of 2 or 3 can run it.

How do you fill 24 days without running out of ideas?

Mix three kinds of doors: a story, a goal and a thank you. Rotating them keeps the calendar from reading like 24 identical appeals. You do not need 24 different projects, only 24 different angles on the work you already do.

  1. Story days (about 10): one person, one service, one volunteer, told in 100 to 150 words with a photo you have permission to use.
  2. Goal days (about 8): a concrete target for the day, such as 20 warm meals or 5 winter coats, with the price of one unit.
  3. Thank you days (about 6): show what yesterday's gifts achieved, and thank by name only those who agreed to it.

Write all 24 doors before 1 December and schedule them, so a busy week does not break the streak. Do not promise results you cannot show: if a goal is 20 meals and you reach 14, say so.

Can you give prizes behind the doors?

Not casually. A daily prize draw is a lottery, and Irish lottery rules apply. We recommend leaving prizes out of your first calendar, because the story alone is enough to carry it.

If you still want prizes, check the rules first. Our guide to the Christmas raffle and lottery rules in Ireland covers them in detail. In short, the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956 text we checked allows a charity lottery without a permit only within a narrow limit: total prizes of 1,000 euro, tickets of 5 euro at most, and no more than 1,500 tickets. GRAI lists a higher limit of 2,000 euro, and we could not confirm which applies in December 2026, so plan for 1,000 euro.

Above that you need a Garda lottery permit, applied for at least 60 days before the first day. GRAI says the new charitable licence will not open for applications in 2026, so the current permit system still applies, but ask the Garda or GRAI which limit applies to you. We could not confirm whether online ticket sales fit these rules.

Can you email supporters every day?

Only those who opted in. The Data Protection Commission says an unsolicited direct marketing email to an individual needs clear, affirmative consent, with no pre ticked boxes. Every message must also let people unsubscribe.

The exception for existing customers was written for sales, so do not assume a past donor counts. We could not confirm how the DPC treats charity fundraising emails. The safe route is to ask for an opt-in on your sign up form, including from past donors, and keep the calendar mail separate from other lists.

For wording, see our Christmas email guide for Irish charities.

What about tax relief for donors?

Ireland works differently from Belgium or the UK. The donor claims nothing. If the donor gives 250 euro or more in a year to an approved body, the charity can claim back tax through the Charitable Donation Scheme.

Revenue gives a 1,000 euro gift as an example: it grosses up to 1,449.27 euro at the current 31 percent rate, so the charity can recover 449.27 euro. The donor must give a certificate and a PPSN, and your charity must be on Revenue's approved list.

Read our guide to the Charitable Donation Scheme at Christmas before you promise anything. Small daily gifts rarely reach 250 euro alone, so do not sell the calendar as tax relief.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

With WeGlow.world you set up a donation page in three steps: amount, personal details and summary. Donors can give once or monthly, and you can label each amount, for example "A warm meal". It works on a phone.

Supporters can start their own fundraiser page, so a volunteer can take on a week of doors and ask their own network. You can also write a thank you text so that donors hear back. Start free with an account at WeGlow.world.

Honestly, the four Christmas experiences are still a concept until the official launch. Two fit an advent calendar well. In the Starry Sky, every gift becomes a star and you fly from star to star, so each day adds a star to the sky. On the Card Wall, every gift is a stamped envelope on a string, so each day adds a message.

The Glow Room and the Gift Yard also work. Plan around any of them only once WeGlow.world confirms the launch. You can create an account now, or contact the team.

How long does it take to prepare?

Plan 5 to 6 weeks if you are starting from nothing. That gives time to write, check and schedule, and to build a list of people who want the calendar.

  • Weeks 1 and 2: choose the theme and write the 24 doors.
  • Week 3: collect photos with consent, and set up the donation page.
  • Week 4: test on a phone and ask 5 to 10 people to read it.
  • Weeks 5 and 6: invite sign ups, then launch on 1 December.

Our plan for a Christmas fundraiser shows how to fit this into the wider season, and the guide to online Christmas fundraising with a digital experience goes deeper on the page itself.

Frequently asked questions

Do we need a Garda permit for an online advent calendar?

A collection permit covers collecting money in a public place or door to door, including electronic payment. An online page is a different thing, but we could not confirm every case. If you also collect on the street, ask your local Chief Superintendent.

Can we run a daily prize draw behind the doors?

Not without checking the lottery rules. A daily draw is a lottery, and permits, prize limits and ticket limits apply. Ask the Garda Síochána or GRAI first, or leave prizes out and let the story carry the calendar.

Can we email past donors every day?

Only if they opted in. The DPC requires clear, affirmative consent for direct marketing email, and we could not confirm any charity exception. Ask for opt-in on the sign up form and offer a clear way to unsubscribe in every message.

Will donors get tax relief on small daily gifts?

Not on their own. The Charitable Donation Scheme needs 250 euro or more in a year to one approved body, with a certificate and a PPSN. Ask Revenue whether your charity is approved before you mention relief.

Which WeGlow.world features suit an advent calendar?

The three step donation page, one off and monthly gifts, labelled amounts, thank you texts and supporter fundraiser pages. The Christmas experiences are still a concept until launch, so plan the calendar so it works without them.

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