Online Christmas campaign in the Netherlands, step by step

Run an online Christmas campaign for your Dutch foundation or association with a digital experience, plus the Dutch rules on ANBI and gifts.

In short An online Christmas campaign feels warmer when donors do more than pay: they leave something behind, such as a decoration, a star, a gift or a card. To deduct gifts, you must be an ANBI. You start with a donation page in three steps. The four experiences are still a concept until the official launch.

This article describes the rules in the Netherlands.

An online Christmas campaign is more than a payment button with a red bow. It helps when a gift becomes visible. Below you will read what a digital Christmas experience is, which four exist, and what you may say about tax relief in the Netherlands.

What is a digital Christmas experience?

A digital Christmas experience is a 3D scene on your campaign page in which every gift gets its own place. The donor writes a card, chooses an amount and sees the gift appear in the scene. Others can open that card.

For a small foundation (stichting) or association (vereniging), this has two advantages. Your supporters get something to share, and you do not have to arrange a stall or a volunteer rota. You do stay responsible for your story, your timing and your thanks.

Which four Christmas experiences are there?

There are four experiences: Glow Room, Starry Sky, Gift Yard and Card Wall. They work with the same card and the same gift, but with a different atmosphere. Note that they are concepts until the official launch.

Glow Room

A 3D living room with a Christmas tree. Your donors choose a decoration from your organisation, write a card and hang the decoration on a golden ring in the tree. Every gift becomes a decoration. In the demo, candles, lamps and the fireplace light up as the campaign grows. See the Glow Room.

Starry Sky

Every gift becomes a star above a Christmas market with a Ferris wheel. The visitor flies from star to star and opens someone else's card with a click. All stars are the same size and the amount is not shown. That suits a calm campaign. See the Starry Sky.

Gift Yard

Every gift becomes a present with a little card. In the concept you choose the setting, such as a forest, a village, a frozen lake, a cabin or a library, and you fly to the next present. The demo shows a snowy yard with a wooden cabin. See the Gift Yard.

Card Wall

A wall with envelopes on a string, where every card is a postage stamp and every stamp has its own price. One click opens the card, you can search for a card by name and you can share the wall. A personal, handwritten feel. See the Card Wall.

What does ANBI mean for your Christmas campaign?

A gift to an ANBI (a public benefit organisation approved by the Dutch tax authority), a cultural ANBI or an SBBI is deductible from income tax. An ordinary gift to a foundation or association without that status is not. Your donors can check your status with the ANBI lookup tool of the Belastingdienst, the Dutch tax authority.

If you do not have ANBI status, say nothing about tax relief on your Christmas page. An association only qualifies for periodic gifts, and then under conditions, among them at least 25 members. If you want to know whether your organisation can obtain that status, ask the Belastingdienst.

Ordinary gift or periodic gift: what can you explain?

With an ordinary gift, only what exceeds the threshold counts: 1% of the threshold income, with a minimum of €60. The maximum is 10% of the threshold income. Cash gifts are not deductible, and a bank statement is the proof. You get nothing in return.

With a periodic gift, there is no threshold. The conditions: the same amount every year to the same institution, 5 calendar years in a row, laid down in a notarial deed or a written agreement. You may draw up that agreement yourself. Gifts made before signing do not count.

Watch out for a common mistake: a monthly gift through your Christmas page is not yet a periodic gift in the tax sense. For that you need the agreement. The benefit depends on the donor's situation, so refer donors to the Belastingdienst instead of quoting a percentage.

Also keep your Christmas campaign separate from a raffle. What you call a raffle at a Christmas market, we treat as a lottery under the Betting and Gaming Act (Wet op de kansspelen), which is our reading and not a wording of the Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gambling authority. Below €4,500 in prizes it goes through the municipality, above that through the Kansspelautoriteit. A gift with a card is not gambling.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

On WeGlow.world you build the basis in three steps: amount, personal details and summary. Donors choose a one-off or a monthly gift, each with its own amounts and optionally a label such as "a warm meal". For a gift we ask for a first name and an e-mail address. Giving anonymously is possible. Everything works on a phone.

Watch the demos and choose the atmosphere that suits your supporters.
Let supporters start their own campaign page, so they too approach their network.
Prepare a thank-you text. Once it is filled in, a thank-you e-mail goes out automatically after a gift.
Let Glowie rewrite your story in a personal, professional or urgent tone. You confirm what goes live.

Want to see first what a Christmas page can look like? Look at the hub with all Christmas experiences. Ready to start? Create an account on WeGlow.world.

How do you plan your online Christmas campaign in six weeks?

An online Christmas campaign fits in six weeks. With a team of 5 to 10 people you divide the tasks: story, page, e-mails and thanks. Below is a plan you can convert to your own calendar, ending in the Christmas holidays.

Week 1: choose your goal, your amounts with labels and your experience.
Week 2: write your story and check your ANBI details.
Week 3: set up the page and test it on your phone.
Week 4: invite supporters to start their own campaign page.
Week 5: send your mailing and assume consent is needed.
Week 6: thank everyone personally and share the results.

You find more ideas in Christmas campaign ideas for the Netherlands. The full plan is in organising a Christmas campaign in the Netherlands. If you also want a physical moment alongside, read a Christmas market for a good cause.

Frequently asked questions

This is what foundations and associations ask us most often.

Can donors deduct their Christmas gift?

Only if you are an ANBI, a cultural ANBI or an SBBI. An ordinary gift counts above the threshold of 1% of the threshold income, with a minimum of €60. Your donor shows the gift with a bank statement. For their own situation, refer them to the Belastingdienst.

Is a monthly gift the same as a periodic gift?

No. A periodic gift requires the same amount every year to the same institution, 5 calendar years in a row, laid down in an agreement. A monthly gift through a donation page is not a periodic gift for tax purposes without that agreement.

Are the Christmas experiences already available?

They are concepts until the official launch. You can watch the demos and you can already create a donation page. Read on each experience page what you get at launch.

May I e-mail donors about my Christmas campaign?

Assume consent is needed and give a clear unsubscribe link in every message. For telephone there is a separate exception for charities, for e-mail that is not confirmed. If in doubt, ask the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, the Dutch data protection authority.

Do I need a permit for an online Christmas campaign?

For an online donation campaign itself, we found no confirmed permit requirement. Collecting door to door and raffles do require permission from the municipality. If you have doubts about your situation, ask your municipality.

Sources

All the rules above come from official pages, checked on 9 October 2026.