Charity Christmas market: running a stall in France

Run a stall or a charity Christmas market: schedule, team, raffle, reçu fiscal and the steps to confirm with the town hall (mairie).

In short For a charity Christmas market, allow about six weeks and a team of 5 to 10 volunteers. Contact the town hall (mairie) from the start about the pitch, the raffle and sales. Plan an online extension too: a donation page lets friends and family who cannot come to your stall still support your association.

this article describes the rules in France.

A Christmas stall keeps an association alive: you meet local people, tell your story and raise funds. Here is how to choose, what to ask the town hall and how to extend the day online.

Stall or market: which suits your association?

Running a stall at an existing Christmas market takes few resources: a table, a few products, two or three volunteers per shift. Organising your own market takes far more: a venue, stallholders, safety, communication.

  • A stall at an existing market: three to four weeks of preparation, 3 to 5 volunteers, rules set by the organiser.
  • Your own market: six weeks or more, 5 to 10 volunteers, a venue and stallholders to find.

If your team is small, start with the stall. Next year you can organise a market with the experience you have gained.

What do you need to do with the town hall?

As soon as you have a date in mind, contact the town hall (mairie) of the municipality concerned. They will tell you what applies in your case: pitch, use of public space, on-site sales, a possible raffle.

According to service-public.gouv.fr, an association that organises an event on the public highway must contact the municipality beforehand. The same page mentions permission to occupy public space and a declaration for a car boot style sale (vente au déballage). Deadlines and forms are not specified: ask the town hall for the exact procedure.

At a market that is already organised, the organiser sets the conditions. The right question is simple: which documents do I need, and by what date?

Raffles and bingo: what is allowed

A raffle (tombola) is banned in principle, but associations may run one under conditions. The proceeds must go to a social, humanitarian, educational or cultural purpose, or another purpose provided for by law, and the prizes must be goods in kind, never cash.

  • The authorisation of the mayor of the municipality where the association is based is required (in Paris, the police prefect).
  • The application is made with Cerfa form no. 11823.
  • The raffle takes place on site: an online raffle is not permitted for an association.
  • For an offence, the official page mentions a fine of up to €90,000 and 3 years in prison.

The traditional bingo (loto or quine) is more flexible: no authorisation if the stake stays below €20, the prizes are not cash and it stays within a restricted circle. A bingo open to the whole public at a market does not necessarily fit that frame: ask the town hall.

What to sell at the stall, and what to tell donors

Seasonal products sell well: biscuits, jams, handmade decorations, greeting cards, charity advent calendars. Show clearly what each euro raised will be used for.

If a visitor makes a donation and gets a small gift in return, the rule on counterparts applies: according to service-public.gouv.fr, its value must not exceed a quarter of the donation, with a maximum of €65 per year, otherwise the tax reduction is not granted. A simple purchase of a product is a sale, not a donation.

Reçu fiscal: for whom and for what?

An individual donor generally gets a tax reduction of 66% of the donation, within the limit of 20% of their taxable income. The 75% rate applies only to organisations that help people in difficulty or victims of violence.

The reçu fiscal (tax receipt) can only be issued by an organisme d'intérêt général (general-interest body): non-profit-making, disinterested management, no profit for a restricted circle of people. If you are unsure about your status, ask the tax authorities before you announce a "reçu fiscal".

Street collections and appeals to the public

A collection on the public highway, outside your stall, counts as an appeal to public generosity (appel à la générosité du public). For the street, speak to the town hall: we cannot confirm here who authorises what in your municipality.

Another official benchmark: above €153,000 collected from the public in one financial year, a prior declaration to the prefecture and an annual statement of how the funds were used are mandatory. A "Donate" button on a website already counts as an appeal to generosity, according to the ministerial guide of October 2024.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

Market day lasts a few hours, but your cause deserves support for longer. With WeGlow.world you create a donation page in three steps (amount, details, summary), with one-off or monthly giving, and it works well on a phone. Send the link to those who could not come.

Your supporters can also start their own fundraising page to collect among their friends, and a thank-you text can go out after every gift. Four digital Christmas experiences are in preparation (a concept until the official launch): the Card Wall (greeting cards hung on a string, each card is a stamp), the Gift Yard (you choose a setting, for example a village, and fly to the next gift), the Glow Room (a 3D living room where each gift adds a decoration to the tree) and the Starry Sky (each gift becomes a star). To get started, create your account or write to the team.

A typical six-week schedule

Adapt the timings to your team and keep some margin for the town hall's replies.

  1. Weeks 1 and 2: choose the date and venue, call the town hall, list the permissions to request.
  2. Week 3: confirm the pitch, recruit volunteers, gather prizes and products.
  3. Week 4: prepare the donation page, the posters and the message to your contacts.
  4. Week 5: send the first reminder, assign shifts, check the equipment.
  5. Week 6: run the stall, then thank every donor within 48 hours.

To go further on the set-up, read how to organise a Christmas fundraiser in France and our Christmas fundraising ideas for an association. The WeGlow.world Christmas hub brings them all together.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need permission to run a Christmas stall?

It depends on the location and on what you do. At a market run by a municipality or committee, the organiser sets the rules. For an event on the public highway, contact the town hall before you publicise it.

Can an association run a Christmas raffle?

Yes, under conditions: proceeds for a general-interest purpose, prizes in kind and the mayor's authorisation using Cerfa form no. 11823. An online raffle is not permitted for an association.

Can you issue a reçu fiscal for a donation made at the stall?

Only if your association is an organisme d'intérêt général. The donor is then entitled to a 66% tax reduction. Buying a product is not a donation.

How many volunteers do you need for a charity Christmas market?

Allow 3 to 5 people for a stall at an existing market, and 5 to 10 for your own market.

How do you thank donors after the market?

Within 48 hours, send a personal message saying what the market made possible. With WeGlow.world you can write a thank-you text that goes out after every online gift.

Sources

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