Organising a Christmas campaign in Switzerland in six weeks

A six-week timeline for your Christmas campaign in Switzerland: cantonal permits, raffles, tax deduction for gifts and an online donation page.

In short A Christmas campaign takes 6 weeks to prepare, with a team of 5 to 10 people. In Switzerland the rules depend on the canton: a collection permit (Geneva requires one on the street and door to door), a raffle capped at 50,000 francs, and gifts deductible from 100 francs to organisations based in Switzerland.

this article describes the rules in Switzerland.

The six-week timeline

Six weeks are enough for a realistic Christmas campaign if you start in mid-November and aim for the weeks of Advent. Each week has a single goal, so you never have to do everything at once.

Week 6: choose the format, the target amount and who owns each task.
Week 5: ask the municipality and the canton which permits you need (stall, collection, raffle).
Week 4: prepare the donation page, the campaign text and the images.
Week 3: invite your first supporters, then your regular donors by e-mail.
Week 2: launch the campaign, post regular updates and say thank you as you go.
Week 1: a last reminder before 31 December, thank-yous and a summary in figures.

If you are still looking for the right format, start with our Christmas campaign ideas for a Swiss association.

Choosing a format and building the team

Choose a format your team can sustain without burning out: a stall at the Christmas market, a meal, a card sale or an online collection carried by your members.

Split the roles among 5 to 10 people: one for the timeline, one for permits, one for communication and one for finances.

Permits: one country, 26 regimes

Switzerland has 26 cantons, and collections, raffles and the use of public space fall mainly under them and the municipalities. There is therefore no single national rule for a Christmas campaign.

In Geneva, the collections regulation (RCollectes) defines a collection as any request for gifts, in money or in kind, on the public highway or door to door. It requires prior authorisation from the department, which is reserved for charitable or public-benefit purposes. The application must be filed at least one month before the start.

The canton of Zurich also requires a permit to approach donors in public space or at their door. For other cantons, ask the canton, and your municipality for the use of public space.

For a stall at the Christmas market, the municipality decides. The City of Bern, for example, sets 30 April as the registration deadline for Christmas stalls. That date does not apply to every municipality: ask as early as you can.

The raffle: what federal law says

The federal gambling act distinguishes small lotteries from large games. A Christmas raffle falls into the first category, provided it stays local: an online or inter-cantonal lottery is a large game and requires authorisation from Gespa.

For a raffle held at an entertainment event, the law provides a lighter regime: prizes in kind only, tickets sold and drawn in direct connection with the event, and a total of all stakes not exceeding 50,000 francs. In that case, the cantonal small-lottery authorisation does not apply.

But the law allows cantons to add requirements or ban these games. Fribourg, for example, asks for a simple notification to the prefecture. Before printing the first ticket, ask your canton what applies.

Receipt and tax deduction: what you can promise

For direct federal tax, gifts to legal entities based in Switzerland and tax-exempt because of their public-benefit purpose are deductible from income. Gifts must reach 100 francs in the tax year and must not exceed 20% of net income.

This is a deduction from taxable income, not a percentage refunded: the benefit depends on the donor's tax rate.

For cantonal tax, the law refers to each canton's own law. The cap varies by canton: check yours. A foreign organisation is not a deductible recipient, because the law requires a registered seat in Switzerland.

There is no federal model for a receipt. A document with the organisation's name, the donor's name, the amount, the year and the words "without consideration" is good practice. Ask your cantonal tax authority what it accepts. A raffle ticket or a market product is a purchase, not a gift.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

If your organisation is on WeGlow.world, the donation page guides the donor in three steps: amount, details, summary. It offers one-off and monthly gifts, each with its own amounts, and it works on a phone.

Your supporters can start their own action page to raise money from the people around them: that turns 5 to 10 volunteers into as many relays. You can also prepare a thank-you text, which the organisation sets up and the platform sends after the gift.

Four Christmas experiences are in preparation: Glow Room, Starry Sky, Gift Yard and Card Wall. They are still concepts, until the official launch. In the Glow Room, a 3D living room with a Christmas tree, every gift becomes a decoration. In the Starry Sky, every gift becomes a star and the visitor flies from star to star.

The Gift Yard lets you pick the setting (forest, village, frozen lake, hut, library) and fly to the next gift. The Card Wall hangs envelopes on a string, each card being a stamp. One is enough for a short campaign, as our article on the online Christmas campaign explains.

To try it out, you can start for free with an account. For a specific question, use the contact page.

Alerting your donors by e-mail

For bulk e-mail, the unfair competition act requires prior consent, correct identification of the sender and a simple, free way to opt out. The safest approach is to write only to people who agreed to receive your news. For the exception for existing customers, ask a lawyer.

The data protection act (FADP, or LPD in French) also requires you to inform people: who is responsible, why you process the data and to whom you pass it on. A short privacy text on the donation page is enough to start with.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions teams ask most often.

Do I need a permit for a Christmas collection?

It depends on the canton and the location. In Geneva, prior authorisation is required for collections on the street and door to door, to be requested at least one month ahead. In other cantons, ask the canton and the municipality.

Can I run a raffle without a permit?

Sometimes. Federal law provides a lighter regime for event raffles with prizes in kind, up to 50,000 francs, but cantons may require a notification or ban these games. Check with your canton before selling a single ticket.

Can my donors deduct their Christmas gift?

If the organisation is tax-exempt and has its seat in Switzerland, deduction from federal tax is possible from 100 francs per year, up to 20% of income. For cantonal tax, ask your canton.

Can a foreign organisation issue a deductible receipt?

No, not for federal tax: the law requires a seat in Switzerland. For cantonal tax, the situation is not confirmed, so ask the tax authority of the donor's canton.

When should I start preparing?

Allow 6 weeks for a simple campaign. For a stall at a city Christmas market, the registration deadline can fall in spring (30 April in Bern), so ask the municipality much earlier.

Sources

Checked on 9 October 2026. This text is general information, not legal advice.