Christmas cards, wish tree or Christmas concert for charity

Christmas cards, a wish tree and a Christmas concert compared on preparation, cost and reach, plus the digital version with Card Wall and Glow Room.

In short Christmas cards, a wish tree and a Christmas concert are three different Christmas fundraisers for a good cause. Cards need little preparation and reach many people, a wish tree works in one place, and a concert takes the most preparation and gives the most experience. An online donation page connects all three with people who cannot come.

This article describes the rules in the Netherlands.

Anyone in the Netherlands who wants to do something for charity at Christmas often chooses between a few familiar formats. These three ask very different things of your team. First a comparison, then what each involves and what to check with the municipality (gemeente) or a rights organisation.

Three formats side by side

Christmas cards, a wish tree and a Christmas concert differ mainly in preparation time, cost and reach. These guidelines are our own planning, not legal figures. Adjust them to your team and municipality.

  • Christmas cards: 4 to 6 weeks of preparation, 3 to 5 volunteers, low cost, reach through post and email.
  • Wish tree: 3 to 4 weeks of preparation, 5 to 10 volunteers, low cost, reach within one building.
  • Christmas concert: 10 to 12 weeks of preparation, 10 or more volunteers, the highest cost, reach through ticket sales and audience.

For an overview of all options, read Christmas fundraising ideas for a charity in the Netherlands.

Christmas cards for charity

Christmas cards are the easiest way in. Children or volunteers can make them, you can have them designed, or send them digitally. The strongest story is the personal card: a giver sends a greeting and donates at the same time.

Two common set-ups:

  • Selling cards: people buy a set and you keep the proceeds.
  • Digital cards: people give online and you send a greeting on their behalf to someone they choose.

Mind the tax side: a gift is only deductible if your organisation is an ANBI (algemeen nut beogende instelling, a public benefit organisation recognised by the Dutch tax authority), a cultural ANBI or an SBBI (a support foundation for a specific club or society). Anyone who gets something in return is not making a deductible gift. A buyer of a card set receives something, so do not call the purchase deductible. A plain gift with nothing in return can be.

According to the CBF (Centraal Bureau Fondsenwerving, the Dutch fundraising bureau), door-to-door sales usually need a permit from the municipality. If you want to sell cards door to door, check with your municipality.

Wish tree

A wish tree stands in a church, school, community centre or shopping centre. Cards hang from its branches, each with a wish, such as a hot meal or a present for someone who would not get one. Visitors take a card and give accordingly.

What works well: a small tree in a busy spot, a sign with your charity's name, a clear amount per wish and a QR code to your donation page, so someone without cash can give online at once.

Protect privacy: use general wishes ("a Christmas meal") and no names or personal situations. If children are involved, ask the school's privacy officer or the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (the Dutch data protection authority) how to do this safely.

Cash gifts are not deductible. An online gift with a bank statement can be, if your organisation is an ANBI.

Christmas concert

A Christmas concert brings people together: a choir, a brass band or a school orchestra, in a church or hall. The income comes from ticket sales, a free donation at the door and possibly a collection.

Plan at least 10 weeks: venue and date, then repertoire, then tickets. Keep the programme to around 60 to 75 minutes, and let a speaker from your charity explain what the proceeds will do.

Copyright: Buma and Stemra

Anyone performing music often meets copyright. Whether and how much you must pay for a charity concert we cannot confirm, as we checked no official source. Ask Buma/Stemra, the Dutch music rights organisation, before you fix the date, especially if you charge admission or the venue has its own agreement.

Raffle and collection at the concert

In our reading of the Wet op de kansspelen (the Dutch Gambling Act), a raffle with paid tickets is a lottery (derived, not wording from the Kansspelautoriteit, the Gaming Authority). Below 4,500 euros in prizes you need a permit from the municipality. A bingo or wheel of fortune has its own rules: notify the municipality at least 14 days in advance, and your association must have existed for at least 3 years. Collecting in public space usually needs a municipal permit. For extra rules in a concert hall, ask the municipality.

The digital version: Card Wall and Glow Room

Every format above has an online counterpart, handy for people who cannot come. WeGlow.world has four Christmas experiences; they are still a concept until the official launch.

  • Card Wall: envelopes on a string, each card a stamp. This fits the Christmas card campaign.
  • Glow Room: a 3D living room with a Christmas tree, where every gift becomes a decoration on the tree. This fits the wish tree.

See the Card Wall and the Glow Room on the experience page. For the whole set-up online, read online Christmas fundraising in the Netherlands.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

With WeGlow.world you set up a donation page in three steps: amount, details, summary. Givers choose a one-off or monthly gift, also from their phone. You can set a thank-you text, so givers get a word of thanks straight after their gift.

  • Put the link or a QR code on your cards, at your wish tree and in the concert programme.
  • Let supporters start their own fundraising page and invite their network.
  • For the concert you can use an event with tickets and a live total.

Start at WeGlow.world. Tips for the page are in a donation page for your Christmas campaign. Questions? Get in touch.

Which format suits you?

Little time and a small team: start with Christmas cards. One fixed location with many visitors: choose the wish tree. A choir or orchestra and time to plan: the concert is the finest experience. You can also combine them, with a wish tree in the concert foyer.

For planning, organising a Christmas campaign in the Netherlands helps. Want a market too? See a Christmas market or stall for charity.

Emailing and saying thanks

For email to donors, assume you need consent and an unsubscribe link in every message. According to the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, the exception for charities concerns phone calls; for email it is not confirmed. Thank givers quickly and say what the proceeds did. Texts are in Christmas emails for donors.

Frequently asked questions

Can donors deduct their gift for Christmas cards?

Only if your organisation is an ANBI, cultural ANBI or SBBI, and then only for a gift with nothing in return. Someone who buys a set of cards gets something back. An ordinary gift also only counts above 1 percent of the threshold income (drempelinkomen), with a minimum of 60 euros.

Do I have to pay Buma/Stemra for a Christmas concert?

We cannot confirm that. Ask Buma/Stemra, with the date, the venue and the admission you charge, well before the concert.

May I hold a raffle at my Christmas concert?

In our reading, a raffle with paid tickets is a lottery under the Wet op de kansspelen. Below 4,500 euros in prizes a municipal permit is needed. Ask your municipality for its conditions.

How much time do I need?

As a guideline 4 to 6 weeks for Christmas cards, 3 to 4 weeks for a wish tree and 10 to 12 weeks for a Christmas concert. This is our own planning, not a legal deadline.

Can I support all three online?

Yes. With a donation page on WeGlow.world people give once or monthly, also from their phone. You share the link on the cards, at the wish tree and in the concert programme.

Sources

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