Ideas for a charity Christmas campaign in Spain

Six ideas for a charity Christmas campaign in Spain, from online giving to a market, with clear warnings about raffles, tax deductions and permits.

In short A Christmas campaign works best when you choose the idea to fit your team, your time and the rules, not the other way round. Here are ideas for associations and foundations, from an online donation to a Christmas market, with a clear warning about raffles, deductions and permits. These depend on your organisation and your autonomous community.

This article describes the rules in Spain.

How to choose the idea before you start organising

First answer three questions: how many people help, how many weeks do you have and do you need permits? With three volunteers and three weeks, a digital campaign earns more than a market. With ten people and six weeks, almost anything is possible.

Christmas in Spain runs from 22 December to Three Kings Day on 6 January, which gives you two moments to ask. For the calendar, see how to organise a charity Christmas campaign.

Six ideas that work for an association or foundation

These are the most common ideas, from least to most work.

  • Online donation with a concrete goal: a page with a figure and what each amount does. This takes the least work.
  • Charity gift: the donor gives a contribution to your cause, with a card.
  • Charity Three Kings: a campaign built around 6 January, with concrete requests.
  • Charity dinner: 20 to 60 people, with a fixed price and a share going to the cause.
  • Charity Christmas market: more work and more permits, described in our guide to the charity Christmas market.
  • Charity raffle: possible, but with different rules in every autonomous community.

The lightest idea: give online and ask your people to help

If your team is small, start here. A clear donation page, with a short message and a goal, lets you receive gifts from anywhere in Spain on mobile, without setting up anything physical.

With WeGlow.world, the donation page takes three steps: amount, personal details and summary. It supports one-off and monthly gifts, each with its own amounts, and you can put a label on each figure, for example "a hot meal".

Your volunteers and members can also start their own fundraising page for your campaign. Begin with 5 to 10 people close to you.

How to do it with WeGlow.world: a digital Christmas experience

If you want giving to carry some emotion, WeGlow.world is preparing four Christmas experiences. They are a concept until the official launch, so do not build your campaign on them until they are confirmed.

  • Glow Room: a 3D living room with a Christmas tree where every gift becomes a decoration.
  • Starry Sky: every gift is a star and the donor flies from star to star.
  • Gift Yard: you choose the setting (forest, village, frozen lake, cabin or library) and fly to the next gift.
  • Card Wall: envelopes hanging from a string, where each card is a stamp.

They suit a campaign of about 4 to 6 weeks: the experience fills up gradually and your followers see that their gesture counts. Create your account on WeGlow.world and start free.

Tax deduction: only if your organisation falls under article 16

Do not promise deductions lightly. Law 49/2002 grants this incentive only to gifts to the article 16 entities: foundations, associations declared of public utility, public bodies and a few others. An ordinary association without that declaration is not within this regime.

If your organisation does qualify, the IRPF (Spanish income tax) deduction for individuals is 80% on the first €250 and 40% on the rest. If the donor gave to the same organisation in the two previous years, with equal or rising amounts, the upper band rises to 45%. The deduction base is capped at 10% of the taxable base (checked on 9 October 2026).

Your organisation must issue a certificate with the donor's NIF (tax number), the date, the amount and a statement that it is an irrevocable donation, and report it to the tax authority. Ask for the NIF from the first contact.

In principle, a raffle or a purchased product is not a donation, because there is a counterpart. A symbolic gift is fine if it does not exceed 15% of the donation. WeGlow.world does not issue Spanish tax certificates: your organisation does. The Basque Country and Navarre have their own foral regime, so consult your adviser there.

Raffles and tombolas: what you can say

The rules on raffles and tombolas vary by autonomous community, so we cannot give you one rule. What is established: Law 13/2011, at national level, defines the rifa as a draw among buyers of numbered tickets whose prizes are not money.

  • Madrid: for associations a prior notification is enough, for a maximum of one month and with prizes in kind.
  • Catalonia: authorisation is needed if prizes exceed €3,000, requested one month before selling tickets. Below that, a notification is enough.
  • Other communities: ask the gambling department of your community before announcing anything.

On selling tickets online or shares of the Gordo (the big Christmas lottery): no rule has been confirmed. Ask the gambling authority of your community first.

Markets, information tables and public space

For a stall at a market or a collection table on the street, it depends on each town council. We have not found a national rule, so ask your council about the ordinance on use of the public highway, in writing and in good time.

Also ask the organiser whether the space is already authorised, and allow 4 to 6 weeks of margin.

Asking and thanking by e-mail without breaking the law

Writing to your donors helps in a Christmas campaign, but you cannot send advertising to people who did not ask for it. Article 21 of the LSSI (Spain's information society law) requires prior consent, with a narrow exception. The safest option is an express opt-in box.

  • Offer a simple, free unsubscribe in every e-mail.
  • Say who processes the data, why and how to exercise rights (LOPDGDD, art. 11).

A good thank-you arrives within 24 to 48 hours. With WeGlow.world you can prepare a thank-you text that is sent automatically after each donation, if you fill it in beforehand. For ideas on wording, read the Christmas e-mail examples for donors.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start my charity Christmas campaign?

Allow 4 to 6 weeks to reach your people. For a market or a dinner, better 6 weeks or more, because of permits and volunteering.

Will my donors be able to deduct their donation?

Only if your organisation is among those in article 16 of Law 49/2002, such as a foundation or an association of public utility. Then the deduction is 80% up to €250, and you issue a certificate. If you are unsure, ask your adviser or the Agencia Tributaria (the Spanish tax agency).

Can I run a charity raffle with cash prizes?

No. Under Law 13/2011 and the Madrid rules, prizes are goods, not money. The procedure also changes with your autonomous community, so ask there before selling tickets.

Do I need a permit for a stall at a market?

Probably, but it depends on your town council and we have not confirmed a general rule. Check the public highway ordinance and ask the market organiser, in writing and weeks ahead.

What does WeGlow.world offer for a Christmas campaign?

A three-step donation page, with one-off and monthly gifts, thank-you texts and fundraising pages of their own for your supporters. The four Christmas experiences are a concept until the official launch.

Sources

Official texts used in this article.

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