Christmas fundraiser at school for charity in Belgium

Christmas fundraiser at school for charity in Belgium: formats, a six-week plan, raffle limits, tax certificate and children's privacy.

In short A Christmas fundraiser at school succeeds when you start small: choose one format, plan six weeks, involve a small working group and settle in advance who gives permission for photos, raffles and collections. Collect gifts through one donation page so parents can join easily and you can say thank you openly. Always check the rules with your municipality.

This article describes the rules in Belgium.

A school is a community that wants to do something together for someone else.

Why does a Christmas fundraiser work so well at school?

A school has a fixed group of people who trust each other, a year-end moment when everyone gathers and children who love doing something visible. The challenge is not enthusiasm, but organisation and rules.

  • Reach: through the school website, the email to parents and parent-teacher meetings you reach hundreds of families without an advertising budget.
  • Learning moment: pupils see where their money goes and who it helps.

Looking for formats beyond school? Read the Christmas fundraiser ideas for a good cause.

Which format suits your school?

Choose the format that fits the number of helpers, the age of the pupils and your time. A small school with three volunteers does best with something simple, such as cards or an online campaign. A large school with an active parents' council can take on a Christmas market.

  • Christmas cards and wishes: pupils make cards, parents give an amount for the charity.
  • Christmas market or concert: needs 10 to 15 helpers and permission for the space.
  • Christmas breakfast or soup sale: light logistics, quick to organise, good for a class campaign.
  • Sponsored challenge: pupils take on a challenge and family sponsors them.
  • Online campaign: one page, one link, no logistics.

Every extra format needs extra helpers and blurs the message. One strong campaign beats five half-finished ones.

How do you plan a Christmas fundraiser at school in six weeks?

Six weeks is a realistic timeframe for a school campaign, because you need to consult the head teacher, the teachers and the parents' council. A fuller playbook is in the playbook for organising a Christmas fundraiser. For a school it looks like this.

  1. Week 1: ask the head teacher for permission, form a working group of 5 to 10 people and choose the charity.
  2. Week 2: fix the format and phone or email the municipality about any permission needed.
  3. Week 3: build the donation page and write the story for parents and pupils.
  4. Week 4: bring the campaign into the classes and announce it in the newsletter.
  5. Week 5: start collecting, send a reminder and let pupils show an interim total.
  6. Week 6: close with the Christmas moment and thank everyone within 48 hours.

Which charity do you choose, and who decides?

Choose a charity that pupils can understand and that feels close to them, for example a food bank, an animal shelter or a children's hospital in Flanders. Let pupils have a say through the pupil council and record the choice, so nobody has questions later.

Agree in advance with the charity how the money will arrive, whether the organisation is recognised for tax certificates and who can provide a thank-you message or a visit.

Which rules apply to raffles, collections and a Christmas market?

The law is federal, the practice is local: your municipality decides on permission and forms. Everything below comes from the sources at the bottom, checked on 9 October 2026. In doubt, ask your municipality's local economy department or the police before you announce anything.

  • Raffle without a licence: only for an association recognised by the college of mayor and aldermen, at most 4 times a year, with tickets of at most €5, at most 1,000 tickets, prizes in kind up to €500 and at least 70 percent of the proceeds going to the charity. What that recognition requires is decided by your municipality.
  • Selling tickets online: may need a separate licence from the Nationale Loterij (the National Lottery), which excludes minors. This is not confirmed for a donation page, so do not sell tickets online to pupils without asking.
  • Door-to-door collecting: needs prior permission from the municipality, so pupils should not ring doorbells without it.
  • Christmas market: stalls, power and food are arranged per municipality. Ask, we found no central rule.
  • Bingo: falls under the Kansspelcommissie (the Gaming Commission), not the municipality. So do not run a Christmas bingo without asking.

Tax certificate: what can parents expect?

Parents who give personally to a recognised institution receive a 30 percent tax reduction on gifts since 1 January 2025, with a minimum of €40 per year and per institution (FOD Financiën, the Belgian Federal Public Service Finance, checked on 9 October 2026). But pay attention to who receives the gift.

A collective collection at school gives no certificate, and neither do membership fees or gifts with a counter-benefit. A Christmas market or soup sale is therefore not a tax-deductible gift. If you want parents to get the benefit, let them give directly to the recognised charity and refer them there. The certificate is issued by the institution, not by the school, and requires the giver's national register number. Never promise a tax benefit if you are not sure the charity is recognised.

Privacy of children and parents: what to watch for?

Handle the data of pupils and parents with care. We cannot give school-specific rules, so ask your school's privacy officer what is allowed for photos, names and publications, and consult the Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit (GBA, the Belgian data protection authority) in case of doubt.

  • Photos and names: do not publish recognisable children or names without a clear agreement with the school.
  • Mailing to parents: assume consent for fundraising emails and include an unsubscribe link in every email. The GBA direct marketing recommendation is the basis.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

With WeGlow.world you put the collection for your school campaign in one place. You create a donation page in three steps (amount, personal details, overview), with one-off and monthly gifts and your own amounts with a label, such as "a warm meal". The page works on a mobile phone, so parents give quickly.

Supporters, such as the parents' council or a class, can start their own fundraising page under your campaign and invite their own network. Set a thank-you text and every giver automatically receives a thank-you email. If the charity is recognised, you send the tax certificates with one click to all givers who qualify.

Want something special? The Card Wall is a Christmas experience with envelopes on a string, where every gift becomes a card with a stamp. That suits a class writing cards. This is still a concept until the official launch; take a look at the Card Wall and read more in the article on the online Christmas fundraiser. Ready to start? Create an account on WeGlow.world. Questions first? Get in touch.

Frequently asked questions

Can a school simply collect money for a charity?

Usually yes, but it depends on the format. An online page or a card campaign rarely needs anything special. For door-to-door collecting or raffles you need permission from the municipality. Ask before you announce.

How much time does a school campaign need?

Plan about six weeks, with a working group of 5 to 10 people.

Do parents get a tax certificate for a gift via the school?

Not automatically. A certificate only exists for personal gifts of at least €40 per year to a recognised institution, and not for a collective collection. The charity issues the certificate, not the school.

Can pupils sell raffle tickets?

A small raffle without a licence has hard limits: tickets of at most €5, at most 1,000 tickets and at most 4 raffles a year. For online tickets a separate licence from the Nationale Loterij may be needed, which excludes minors. Ask your municipality.

How do I handle photos of children on the donation page?

Do not post recognisable children without a clear agreement with the school. Ask your school's privacy officer what is allowed, or the Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit if you are unsure.

Sources

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