Christmas email to donors in the Netherlands: 3 examples
Three fully written Christmas emails for donors in the Netherlands: invitation, progress update and thank-you, with subject lines, button text and rules.
In short A good Christmas email series for donors has 3 emails: an invitation in early December, a progress update halfway and a thank-you within 48 hours of the end. Assume you need consent, put an unsubscribe link in every email and give each email one button. Below you will find all three written out in full.
This article describes the rules in the Netherlands.
What may you email donors in the Netherlands?
Assume you need consent and an unsubscribe link in every email. The exception for charities, which may call donors unasked, concerns the phone according to the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (the Dutch data protection authority). Whether it also covers email is not confirmed. So do not apply that exception to your Christmas email.
The sender must also be able to prove consent, so keep, for each address, when and for what someone signed up. If you doubt part of your list, leave that group out of your Christmas email and ask the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens.
Whether a particular exception applies to your foundation (stichting) is not confirmed, so we do not state it as fact. Check your list before sending, and for your planning read how to organise a Christmas campaign in the Netherlands.
The schedule: moment, goal, subject line and button
Three emails in 6 weeks is enough. More emails take a lot of work and tire your list. The table gives per email the moment, goal, example subject line and button text.
| Moment | Goal | Subject line | Button |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early December, 3 to 4 weeks before Christmas | Invite and explain the goal | Will you help put 120 Christmas meals on the table? | Give a Christmas meal |
| Halfway, about 12 days later | Share progress and give a final push | Already 68% of our goal: 9 days to go | Help us reach the goal |
| Within 48 hours of the end | Say thanks and show what the gift does | Thanks to you, 120 Christmas meals are ready | See what you achieved |
The names and amounts in the examples are invented. Replace them with your own goal, your own figures and your own tone.
Email 1: the invitation
The first email does one thing: explain what you do and why now. One concrete goal, one person or image, one button. Send it on a weekday morning, so people can read it in peace.
Subject line: Will you help put 120 Christmas meals on the table?
Dear [first name],
Last year, on Christmas Day, Martha, 78, was not alone at the table for the first time in years. That was thanks to a hot meal and a few volunteers who rang her doorbell.
This year we want 120 people in our neighbourhood to experience that too. A Christmas meal costs us 12 euros. With 1,440 euros we make sure everyone can sit at the table.
You can join until 22 December, once or monthly. It takes 2 minutes and works fine on your phone.
Button: Give a Christmas meal
Warm regards,
Sanne from Stichting Warme WinterYou receive this email because you signed up for our newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time with one click.
Email 2: the progress update
The second email shows it is working and makes the end feel near. Mention the amount in, the amount missing and the end date.
Subject line: Already 68% of our goal: 9 days to go
Dear [first name],
A quick update. 980 euros is already in, good for 82 meals. That is 68% of our goal of 1,440 euros. Thanks to everyone who has already joined.
We are still 460 euros short, or 38 meals. If 10 people give 46 euros each, we are there. Not joined yet? You can today, in 3 steps.
Want to help more? Share the campaign with a friend or colleague. A personal message from you does more than an appeal from us.
Button: Help us reach the goal
Warm regards,
Sanne from Stichting Warme WinterPrefer no more emails from us? You can unsubscribe in one click.
Email 3: the thank-you
Send the thank-you within 48 hours of the end. Say what the amount made possible, mention something concrete that is happening now and ask nothing of the donor. The button here is an invitation to look, not to give again.
Subject line: Thanks to you, 120 Christmas meals are ready
Dear [first name],
We did it. With 1,512 euros from 64 givers, 126 Christmas meals are ready, 6 more than our goal.
On 24 December our volunteers deliver the meals. Martha is there again. She asked us to tell you that Christmas bread comes with it this year too.
After Christmas we will send you photos and a short report of the evening. If your gift went through your bank account, keep the bank statement as proof. For tax, that is the proof for an ordinary gift, provided we are an ANBI.
Button: See what you achieved
Happy holidays,
Sanne from Stichting Warme WinterYou can unsubscribe at any time.
Only copy the last paragraph about tax if your organisation is an ANBI (algemeen nut beogende instelling, a public benefit organisation recognised by the Dutch tax authority). Check that beforehand on the Belastingdienst website.
How to do it with WeGlow.world
The button in your email must lead to a page that finishes the job. On WeGlow.world you set up a donation page in 3 steps: amount, details, summary. Donors give once or monthly, also on their phone, and you can set a thank-you text that is sent automatically after a gift.
Let your supporters also start their own fundraising page. A donor who forwards the update with their own page behind it reaches people your email does not. More in a donation page for your Christmas campaign.
The digital Christmas experiences are concepts until the official launch. The Glow Room is a living room with a Christmas tree where every gift becomes a decoration. In the Starry Sky every gift becomes a star. An honest assessment is in online Christmas fundraising with a digital experience. Ready to start? Create an account, or get in touch.
What to watch when writing
Write as you would talk to a donor at a table: short sentences, one message per email and button text that says what happens. A Christmas email does not need to be long to touch people.
- Address the reader by first name, but check your list for empty fields.
- Use a subject line of about 50 characters, so it fits on a phone.
- Give amounts as figures and link them to something tangible, such as 12 euros per meal.
- Test your email on your own phone first, as many people read email on the go.
More ideas for the campaign itself are in Christmas fundraising ideas for a charity in the Netherlands.
Frequently asked questions
May I email all my donors?
Assume you need consent and an unsubscribe link. You must be able to prove that consent. If in doubt, ask the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens.
Does the exception for charities also apply to email?
Do not assume so. The exception that donors may be called unasked concerns the phone according to the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens; for email it is not confirmed. Assume consent, and every email contains an unsubscribe link.
How many Christmas emails do I send?
Three is a good starting point: an invitation, a progress update and a thank-you. Put them in a 6-week schedule. If that is not possible, start with the invitation and the thank-you.
When do I send the thank-you?
Within 48 hours of the end of the campaign, while the gift is fresh. Say what the amount made possible and only promise a follow-up you will really send.
Are gifts to my foundation deductible?
An ordinary gift is only deductible if you are an ANBI. For the giver a threshold of 1% of the threshold income (drempelinkomen) applies, with a minimum of 60 euros. Mention this in your email only if your ANBI status is correct.
Sources
- ACM, which unwanted messages the ACM tackles (checked on 9 October 2026)
- Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, direct marketing (checked on 9 October 2026)
- Belastingdienst, deducting gifts (checked on 9 October 2026)
- Belastingdienst, difference between periodic and ordinary gifts (checked on 9 October 2026)