How to plan a Christmas fundraiser in six weeks

A week by week plan for an Irish charity's Christmas fundraiser, with the permits to sort first: a Garda lottery permit needs 60 days' notice.

In short Six weeks is enough for a Christmas fundraiser if you sort permits first. A Garda lottery permit needs 60 days' notice, so decide on any raffle before anything else. Then spend weeks one and two planning, weeks three and four promoting, week five reminding and week six running the day and saying thank you.

What do you sort before week one?

Pick a format, a date and a rough target. Check which permits your idea needs, because some take longer than six weeks. A raffle and a street collection come first.

Not sure which format suits your team? Start with our guide to Christmas fundraising ideas for Irish charities, then come back here with a decision made.

Which permits take the longest?

Two rules matter most: raffles and collections. A raffle above the small exemption needs a Garda lottery permit, and a collection in a public place needs a Garda collection permit. Both can take longer than people expect, so they go on the calendar first.

  • Garda lottery permit: apply to the superintendent in the district where you live at least 60 days before the first day. The Garda decision comes within 28 days, and the permit lasts up to 12 months.
  • Collection permit: needed to collect money in a public place or door to door, even if people pay electronically. The 1962 Act, as originally enacted, says apply no more than six months and no less than 14 days ahead. We could not confirm that the current text still says this, so ask your local Garda station.

Can you run a raffle without a permit?

Possibly, but the exemption is narrow. Under the 1956 Act, a charitable raffle can run without a permit if the prizes total no more than €1,000, tickets cost no more than €5, you sell no more than 1,500 tickets, nobody profits personally, and you held no other such raffle in the last three months.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) lists a higher prize limit of €2,000 for a similar exemption. We could not confirm which limit applies in December 2026, so treat €1,000 as the safe figure. Above that, apply for a permit or ask GRAI.

The GRAI says its new charitable licence is not expected to open in 2026, so charities should keep using the current permit system. We could not confirm the permit fee, so ask the Garda.

The six week timeline

Each week has one main job, so a small team is never doing everything at once.

  • Week 1: choose the format, set a € target, name a lead and confirm the permits you need.
  • Week 2: book the venue, recruit 5 to 10 helpers and build your donation page.
  • Week 3: launch the appeal by email and on social media.
  • Week 4: ask supporters to start their own pages and share your story.
  • Week 5: send a reminder, confirm helpers and test everything.
  • Week 6: run the event, thank people the same day and share the total.

Weeks one and two: decide and build

Write one sentence that says what the money does, with a number: for example, how many hot meals €25 buys. Then share the jobs: one person leads, one handles money, one handles communications.

In week two, get your donation page ready before you announce anything. WeGlow.world lets you set up a donation page in three steps, with one off and monthly gifts, each with its own amounts and labels. It works well on a phone, which is where most people will first see your link.

Weeks three and four: tell people

Launch in week three with a short story, one photo and one link. Ask your helpers to share it in their own words.

Be careful with email. In Ireland, marketing email to individuals generally needs prior opt-in consent, and we could not confirm that charities are treated differently, so do not assume past donors are covered. Ask for clear consent, include an unsubscribe link, and if unsure, ask the Data Protection Commission.

In week four, widen the circle. With WeGlow.world, supporters can start their own fundraising page for your appeal, turning one donor into a small campaign.

Week five: remind and rehearse

Send one reminder with the progress so far, as a number and a percentage of your target. Test your donation page on two phones.

If your event is a market, the setup questions are different. Read our guide to running a Christmas market fundraiser for stalls, volunteers and the day itself. We could not confirm whether a market stall needs a Garda collection permit, so ask your local Garda station.

Week six: run it, then thank people

On the day, put the donation link and a QR code where people can see them, and give one helper the job of posting updates. Share the running total once or twice.

Thank people before they have to wonder. WeGlow.world can send a thank you email automatically after a gift, as long as your organisation has written a thank you text. Set it up in week two.

Do you want a gift tax boost in the plan?

Possibly. Under the Charitable Donation Scheme, your charity can claim back tax on gifts from one donor totalling at least €250 in a year, but only if Revenue has approved your charity. Revenue gross up the gift at 31 percent: a €1,000 gift becomes €1,449.27.

The donor gives you an Annual or Enduring Certificate and their PPSN, and your charity claims through ROS. It is not a tax certificate the donor claims themselves. Mention it to larger givers in week three.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

Add a Christmas experience if your team is small or your supporters live far apart. To be honest, the four experiences are still a concept until WeGlow.world's official launch, so use them as an extra, not your only plan.

  • Glow Room: a 3D living room where each gift becomes a decoration on the tree.
  • Starry Sky: each gift becomes a star, and you fly from star to star.
  • Gift Yard (Gift Yard): pick a setting such as a forest, village, frozen lake, cabin or library, and fly to the next present.
  • Card Wall: envelopes on a string, where each card carries a stamp.

Ready to build your page? Create an account on WeGlow.world and start free. Questions? Get in touch. For more ideas, see the Christmas fundraising hub.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers for Irish charities.

Is six weeks really enough for a Christmas fundraiser?

Yes, for most formats, as long as the permits are sorted first. A Garda lottery permit needs at least 60 days' notice, so a raffle needs the longest lead. WeGlow.world's three step donation page keeps the build short.

How much notice does a raffle permit need?

A Garda lottery permit application goes to the superintendent in your district at least 60 days before the first day. A decision comes within 28 days. A small raffle under the exemption needs none.

Do I need a permit to collect money in the street?

Yes. A collection of money in a public place or door to door needs a Garda collection permit, and that includes electronic payments. Ask your local Garda station about timing and cost.

Can donors get tax back on a Christmas gift?

Under the Charitable Donation Scheme, your charity can claim tax relief on gifts totalling at least €250 per donor per year, if Revenue has approved your charity. Donors do not claim it themselves. WeGlow.world supplies the donation page, not the approval.

What should I do in week one?

Choose your format, set a € target, name a lead and check your permits. You can start your WeGlow.world donation page that week too.

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