Christmas ideas for charities in French-speaking Switzerland
Christmas market, Advent windows, crafts or a concert: choose the Christmas action that suits your association in French-speaking Switzerland, rules included.
In short Four formats suit an association in French-speaking Switzerland (Romandy): a stall at the Christmas market, Advent windows, crafts sold for a good cause and a concert. Plan for six to eight weeks and a team of 5 to 10 people, and check early with your commune and your canton.
this article describes the rules in Switzerland, with a focus on French-speaking Switzerland.
Choose the right idea for your team
A good Christmas action matches what your team can carry. With 5 people available two evenings a week, a crafts stall is enough. With 10 volunteers and a venue, a concert becomes possible. Start from your real energy, not from the most spectacular idea.
Also write down your goal in francs and the deadline. An idea that raises CHF 800 in six weeks is worth more than a big project abandoned in November. For the full process, read our guide to organising a Christmas action in Switzerland.
A stall at the Christmas market
The Christmas market remains the classic for associations: plenty of passers-by, an atmosphere that makes people want to help, and spontaneous purchases. You sell your crafts, biscuits or mulled wine there, and present your cause to many visitors.
A market is a municipal matter: your commune's market regulation decides. In Bern, for example, the city handles Christmas stall applications through its market office, with a deadline of 30 April. That does not apply everywhere, but expect spring deadlines for large city markets. Ask your commune as early as summer.
If you sell food or drink, the operating licence depends on the canton. Fribourg, for example, mentions a patente K (a licence) when the venue has no licence of its own. In other cantons, ask your commune.
Advent windows
Advent windows are a simple neighbourhood idea: every evening in December, a decorated window lights up in the neighbourhood, and neighbours gather outside for a tea, a soup or a song.
For an association the principle is simple: 24 windows, 24 volunteer hosts, a shared calendar. Put a collection tin or a visible donation link at each gathering, and invite each host to present your cause in two sentences.
If you want to close off a street or use a pavement, talk to your commune. Private windows only need the goodwill of the neighbours.
Crafts, biscuits and handmade items
Crafts and biscuits are the cheapest idea to start: a few volunteer workshops in November, and you have stock to sell at the stall, outside a parish church or at a concert.
Set simple prices, for example CHF 5, 10 or 20, and show what the sale pays for. A sale is a purchase, not a donation: do not present it as tax deductible. For the deduction, see below.
The Christmas concert
A concert by a choir, a brass band or pupils from a music school brings families together and gives your association good visibility. Allow about six weeks of preparation, a hall lent by the parish or the commune, and a team for the welcome.
There are two ways to fund it: free entry with a hat at the exit, or ticket sales at a fixed price. In both cases, announce in advance what the money raised will be used for, and thank the audience in person at the end of the evening.
The raffle: what federal law allows
A Christmas raffle sells well, but it is regulated. Under the federal gambling act, a small raffle at an entertainment event can do without authorisation if it offers only prizes in kind, if ticket sales, the draw and the prize-giving all take place during the event, and if the total of all stakes does not exceed CHF 50,000.
But cantons can add conditions, or even ban raffles. Fribourg, for example, asks for a simple notification to the prefecture (Oberamt) for a raffle within these limits. An online lottery is not a small lottery: in French-speaking Switzerland, large lotteries fall under the Loterie Romande. Check with the cantonal gambling supervisory authority before launching anything, and read our article on the Christmas raffle and lottery for an association in Switzerland.
Collecting in the street or door to door
Asking for donations on the public highway or at people's homes is regulated by the canton. In Geneva, a collection requires prior authorisation from the department, to be submitted at least one month before it starts, and it is reserved for charitable or public-benefit purposes.
Geneva excludes, among other things, collections made among the members of the association, or during an event the association organises itself. For the other cantons of French-speaking Switzerland, we have no confirmed rule: ask your commune or the competent cantonal department.
Giving online and tax deduction
An online donation page complements the field action very well: people who could not come to the stall give from home. Link your posters and flyers to it. See also our article on the online Christmas action in Switzerland.
On tax, federal law allows donations to exempt legal entities based in Switzerland to be deducted, from CHF 100 over the year and up to 20% of income. Cantonal ceilings vary: check your canton. A foreign association is not a deductible recipient. There is no federal template for a certificate: offer your donors a receipt with your name, theirs, the amount and the year.
How to do it with WeGlow.world
If your association is on WeGlow.world, the donation page takes three steps: amount, details, summary. It accepts one-off and monthly donations, each with its own amounts, and works on a phone.
Your supporters can start their own action page for your Christmas campaign, and you can write a thank-you message sent after every donation. You can start for free with an account on WeGlow.world.
Four Christmas experiences are in preparation, still a concept until the official launch: the Glow Room, where every donation becomes a decoration on the tree, the Starry Sky, where every donation becomes a star, the Gift Yard, where you choose the setting (forest, village, frozen lake, cabin, library), and the Card Wall, with envelopes hanging from a string. They suit a neighbourhood action that continues online.
Frequently asked questions
Which idea should a small association choose?
The crafts and biscuits stall needs few resources: five volunteers and a few workshops in November are enough. Advent windows cost even less, because the hosts lend their window.
Do I need authorisation for a raffle?
Not always. Federal law provides an exception for small raffles with prizes in kind, up to CHF 50,000 in stakes, but cantons can require a notification or an authorisation. Check with your canton.
Can I run an online raffle?
No, not as a small lottery: an online lottery is not one, and large lotteries fall under the Loterie Romande. For a Swiss audience, avoid any online lottery without the agreement of Gespa.
Are donations to my association deductible?
At federal level, yes, from CHF 100 a year and up to 20% of income, if the association is based in Switzerland and is exempt. Cantonal ceilings vary: check with your canton.
When should I start preparing?
Six to eight weeks before the event are enough for a small action, but for a Christmas market, contact your commune as early as summer, because some cities set their deadlines in spring.
Sources
Official sources, checked on 9 October 2026: