Christmas fundraising at work for charity in Belgium

Organise a Christmas fundraiser at work: pick a cause, plan six weeks, know the rules on tax receipts and tombolas, and set up a donation page.

In short A Christmas fundraiser at work succeeds when it is small and clear: one cause, one driver, one end date. Plan six weeks, form a team of 5 to 10 people and let colleagues give personally through a donation page. Every gift stays recognisable, you can say thank you and a tax receipt stays possible, if the cause is recognised.

this article describes the rules in Belgium.

At work the goodwill is already there: colleagues want to do something good for Christmas, but nobody has time to organise it. This article gives a workable approach for a company, department or school in Belgium, with the rules to know beforehand.

Why does a Christmas fundraiser at work work so well?

A workplace has what many campaigns lack: a group that trusts each other, a shared calendar and a natural Christmas moment. You only have to ask a clear question.

  • Trust: colleagues give more readily to a cause that a colleague chooses or knows.
  • Reach: one internal email, one intranet post and one announcement at the team meeting reach everyone.
  • Transparency: a counter that visibly rises encourages people to join in.

How do you choose the right cause for your team?

Choose a cause your team can explain in two sentences and that someone knows personally. Let colleagues make suggestions, but vote on three options at most, or the energy dilutes.

Ask your candidate two things straight away: is the organisation recognised to issue tax receipts, and can it tell you afterwards what the proceeds meant? The second is gold for your January communication. For more formats, see Christmas fundraising ideas for a charity.

Which formats suit a company?

At work, formats that take little time and fit into a break or a team day work best. These formats fit most often.

  • Online donation page with a counter: everyone gives when it suits them, including people working from home or in shifts.
  • Christmas lunch or cake sale: a cosy moment, with a payment link or QR code so every gift lands on the page.
  • Quiz on the last working day before the holidays: teams pay an entry fee and the winner gets a symbolic prize.
  • Digital Christmas experience: every gift becomes visible on a shared Christmas page, also for colleagues at other sites.
  • Company match: management doubles what the team raises up to a maximum set in advance.

What is a realistic timeline?

Allow six weeks and a core team of 5 to 10 people from different departments. That sounds like a lot, but the work is small per person and no overworked organiser carries everything.

  • Weeks 1 and 2: choose the cause, get management's approval, set the target amount and end date.
  • Week 3: set up the page, prepare the thank-you email, send the first announcement.
  • Weeks 4 and 5: two reminders, a live moment and an update on the total so far.
  • Week 6: final call, close, say thank you and share the result.

A step-by-step plan with tasks per week is in the Christmas fundraiser planning guide.

What are the rules for gifts and tax receipts?

The main rule: the tax benefit depends on the cause, not your company. Only a recognised institution may issue a receipt, and only for personal gifts with nothing in return.

According to the gifts page of FOD Financiën (the Belgian Federal Public Service Finance, checked on 9 October 2026), the tax reduction for gifts is 30 percent since 1 January 2025, with a minimum of 40 euros per year and per institution. The gift must be personal and final. A collective collection does not give a receipt.

What does that mean at work?

  • Let colleagues give individually: under their own name through a page, not through one pot that someone transfers.
  • Promise nothing about deductions: say it depends on the recognition of the cause and on the amount per person.
  • The national register number: the organisation may only ask for it to issue a receipt, so never ask for it internally yourself.
  • Is the company giving itself? Whether and how that counts for tax is not confirmed in the sources we use. Ask your accountant or FOD Financiën.

May you hold a tombola or raffle at work?

Sometimes, but not just like that. A tombola falls under the lottery law, and the municipality plays a role. For local tombolas without a licence, hard limits apply according to the Gaming Commission (Kansspelcommissie) and the royal decree of 13 September 2023.

  • Per ticket: at most 5 euros.
  • Number of tickets: at most 1,000 per tombola.
  • Prizes: in kind only, with a retail value of up to 500 euros.
  • Proceeds: at least 70 percent goes to the cause.

The organiser must also be an association recognised by the municipal executive (the college); what that involves differs per municipality. Selling tickets online may need a separate permission from the National Lottery; that is not confirmed, so check. Ask your municipality or the National Lottery before announcing a tombola. Bingo is a different category: it falls under the Gaming Commission.

How do you email colleagues and customers correctly?

Emailing colleagues feels obvious, but customers and external contacts call for care. According to the Data Protection Authority, sending fundraising emails to people outside your own team in principle requires prior consent.

So assume consent and add an unsubscribe link to every email. Whether an earlier gift falls under the exception for existing customers is not confirmed, so do not count on it. Sample texts are in the Christmas emails for donors.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

With WeGlow.world you set up the campaign in one place: a donation page in three steps (amount, details, overview) that works on any phone. Colleagues give once or monthly and enter their first name and email address, so you can thank them.

Supporters can also start their own campaign page. At work that is handy: each department gets its own page and its own counter, and you see which team is most enthusiastic. You set a thank-you text in advance, and the thank-you email follows automatically once that text is filled in. For a recognised organisation you send tax receipts with one click to all givers who qualify.

Want a Christmas feel? The four digital Christmas experiences are still a concept until the official launch. In the Glow Room, every gift becomes a decoration on the tree in a 3D living room. On the Card Wall, every card hangs as an envelope with a stamp on a string. How to approach that online is in the article on the digital Christmas experience. Do not plan around them yet.

Ready? Create an account and set up your page before you inform the team.

Frequently asked questions

How many people do I need for a Christmas fundraiser at work?

A core team of 5 to 10 people from different departments is enough for most companies. One coordinator keeps the overview, the others share communication, the live moment and thanks.

May my company raise money from customers?

You can, but only email people who gave their consent and always add an unsubscribe link. For a door-to-door collection or a street collection, you first ask the municipality for permission.

Do colleagues get a tax reduction for their gift?

If the cause is recognised and the gift is personal, the giver receives a tax receipt for 40 euros or more per year and per institution, with a 30 percent reduction according to FOD Financiën (checked on 9 October 2026). A collective collection does not give a receipt.

When is the best time to start?

Start about six weeks before the end date, so early November: time for management's approval, a good page and two reminders, before the year-end rush.

How do I show the result to the team?

Share an update halfway and the final result the week after the end, with a thank-you and a sentence on what the organisation does with it. WeGlow.world shows the total on the page, so you need no separate counter.

Sources

Articles