Organise a Christmas dinner or brunch for charity
Plan a Christmas dinner or brunch for charity in the Netherlands: timeline, tables, price per cover and why the cover is not a deductible gift.
In short A Christmas dinner or brunch brings people together around the table, and every table can raise money. Allow six weeks of preparation, set a price per cover that pays the costs and ask for extra gifts. The cover is not a deductible gift. A raffle has its own rules, so leave it out here.
This article describes the rules in the Netherlands.
Christmas dinner or brunch: which suits your charity?
A dinner has atmosphere and suits a hall with candlelight. A brunch is cheaper, works for families with children and can take place on a Sunday morning, when your venue is often free. Choose the format that suits your supporters and your volunteers.
Think about size too. A dinner for 40 guests can be run by a small group, but with 120 guests you need a caterer and someone in charge of the venue. Start small and write down what you will do differently next year.
Six weeks of planning
Six weeks is enough for a dinner of 40 to 80 guests. Start with the date and the venue, then the meal, then ticket sales. A list with one person responsible per task stops everything landing on one person.
- Weeks 6 and 5: fix the date, venue, budget and what the proceeds are for.
- Week 4: menu, catering or kitchen volunteers, and open the ticket page.
- Weeks 3 and 2: sell tables, find table captains, invite businesses and neighbours.
- Week 1: remind guests, draw up the seating plan, brief volunteers.
You will find a fuller step-by-step plan for the whole campaign in how to organise a Christmas campaign in the Netherlands.
Selling tables and setting the price per cover
Besides single tickets, sell whole tables of 8 or 10 seats. A table is a ready-made gift for a company, a sports club or a group of friends, and you only have one payment and one contact person to manage.
First work out your costs: venue, food, drinks, tableware, music. Divide that by the number of guests and add what you want to raise for the charity. That gives you the price per cover, for example €45 for a simple brunch or €75 for a dinner. These are calculation examples, not advice.
Make the split visible in your invitation. Guests give more readily when they know that, for instance, €20 per cover goes to the project.
Is the cover a gift? No, and here is how to explain it
The Dutch tax authority (Belastingdienst) names as a condition for a deductible ordinary gift that you get nothing in return. Payments for services do not count. A dinner that you eat is something in return, so the price of a cover is not a gift that guests can deduct.
Say so openly in your invitation, so nobody is disappointed later. Anyone who also wants to make a real gift can do so separately from the ticket. Whether an amount above the cover price counts partly as a gift is not confirmed in the sources we used. Ask the Belastingdienst.
Deduction for ordinary gifts also applies only to an ANBI (a charity with public benefit status) or an SBBI (a support foundation for a social-interest club), with a threshold of 1% of the threshold income and at least €60. Read the details in gifts around the year end and ANBI in the Netherlands.
Why we do not add a raffle to your dinner
Many dinners end with a tombola, but that is a raffle under the Betting and Gaming Act (Wet op de kansspelen). For prizes below €4,500 you apply for a licence from the municipality, from €4,500 from the Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit). For a small gathering that is often more work than it brings in.
That is why we do not describe a raffle here. Looking for extra income? Let guests give an additional amount, put a table in the room with a donation page via a QR code, or ask businesses to sponsor a table.
What should you check with the municipality?
Rules for the venue, serving alcohol and any event permit differ per municipality. We could not confirm them, so ask your municipality before you sell tickets.
If you collect money on the night itself with a collection box, or sell goods at the door, a collection licence may be needed. The Central Bureau for Fundraising (CBF) explains how this works and that the municipality decides.
After the dinner: say thank you and reach those who were not there
Think of those who cannot come. Make a short list of people who would like to give without sitting at a table: former volunteers, guests' relatives, neighbours. After the invitation, send them a link to your donation page with a personal note. That way one evening also brings in supporters who were not physically there.
Plan a fixed round of thank-yous within 48 hours after the event: a short message to all guests, volunteers and sponsors, with the amount raised and what it makes possible in practice.
How to do it with WeGlow.world
With WeGlow.world you create an event page with tickets and live totals. Supporters can also start their own campaign page, for example a table captain who asks colleagues or neighbours to chip in. You can start for free with an account.
For gifts on top of the ticket you create a donation page in three steps: amount, details, overview. You can offer one-off and monthly gifts, and the page works on a phone, handy for the QR code on the table. With a thank-you text you thank guests afterwards.
Want to carry the Christmas feeling on online? The Glow Room is a 3D living room with a Christmas tree where every gift becomes a decoration. This is a concept until the official launch. A Card Wall with envelopes can serve as thanks to your guests, also still a concept. Ready to begin? Create an account.
You can read more ideas for your Christmas campaign in Christmas campaign ideas for a charity in the Netherlands.
Frequently asked questions
How many guests do I need at least?
There is no fixed minimum. Work out what the food and the venue cost you and how much is left per cover. With 30 guests and a small surplus per seat, a Christmas brunch can already be worth it.
Can guests deduct the price of the dinner?
No. An ordinary gift is deductible only if you get nothing in return, and a meal is something in return. A separate gift to an ANBI can be deductible under the ordinary conditions.
May I link a raffle to the dinner?
You can, but then the Betting and Gaming Act applies and you need a licence. This article advises doing without. If in doubt, ask your municipality or the Gambling Authority.
Can I also hold an online dinner or brunch?
Yes, in the form of an online donation page where guests support a table from home. The shared moment stays the strongest, so ideally combine a real gathering with a page for those who cannot be there.
Who arranges the seating plan and the tables?
Appoint a captain per table who gathers the guests and keeps track of who has paid. That keeps the overview small and lets you, as organiser, manage 10 tables in one evening.
Sources
The rules in this article come from official pages, checked on 9 October 2026. For your own situation, ask the Belastingdienst, your municipality or the Gambling Authority.