Alternative to Viva for Life: raise funds for your charity

Belgium's Viva for Life runs from 17 to 23 December 2026. Where the money from a challenge goes, and how your charity runs its own December appeal.

In short Viva for Life, the December charity marathon of Belgian French-language broadcaster RTBF and the non-profit CAP48 for children aged 0 to 6 in poverty, runs from 17 to 23 December 2026 in La Louvière. Money from a challenge goes to the campaign, which then funds charities through a call for projects. Your charity can run its own December appeal alongside; in Belgium, a personal gift of at least 40 euros a year to a recognised charity gives 30% tax relief.

This article describes the situation in Belgium. Belgium has two big December charity marathons: Viva for Life in Wallonia and Brussels and De Warmste Week in Flanders. Both are well-loved campaigns. This article explains where the money from a Viva for Life challenge goes and how a Belgian charity raises money for its own work in the same month. WeGlow.world is not affiliated with Viva for Life, RTBF or CAP48.

Can a Viva for Life challenge fund your own charity?

No, not directly. A challenge ("défi") is organised for the benefit of the campaign itself, according to RTBF's page on challenges (in French). CAP48 then manages the gifts and funds charities through a call for projects judged by a jury of experts; we found no rule that lets you assign a challenge to your own charity.

Your charity can support Viva for Life, or apply to its call for projects if it meets the conditions. To fund its own work in December, it needs its own appeal.

How does Viva for Life work in 2026?

The 14th edition of Viva for Life runs from 17 to 23 December 2026 from La Louvière, for children aged 0 to 6 who live in poverty. To organise a challenge, you register it through a form, receive an accreditation number and create a fundraising page on agir.vivaforlife.be.

Can your charity receive money from Viva for Life?

Yes, if its project is aimed at young children aged 0 to 6 and families living below the poverty line. According to the rules of the Viva for Life 2026 call for projects (in French), it must be a non-profit association or a public-benefit foundation and request at least 5,000 euros; selected projects are announced in February or March 2027.

• Projects must mainly serve people in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the German-speaking Community.
• CAP48 never funds a project in full: plan other sources.
• A charity cannot apply to a CAP48 call for disability or children in difficulty and a Viva for Life call at the same time.

The submission dates are on cap48.be; check them before you start.

When is taking part in Viva for Life the right choice?

Take part if your cause concerns young children and poverty, if your charity is preparing an application for the call for projects, or if your volunteers want to share the week with the whole of Wallonia and Brussels. Viva for Life then gives your challenge visibility that is hard to reach on your own.

• Your supporters ask to set up a challenge themselves.
• You mainly want to show solidarity, and your own December income is not a priority.
• Your project fits the campaign's cause and could receive support later.

Viva for Life challenge or your own appeal: what changes?

With your own appeal, the money goes to your own work, you choose the goal and you know who gave, so you can thank people personally. With a challenge you get Viva for Life's visibility, but the money goes to the campaign.

Can you do both without confusing your supporters?

Your charity can run its own appeal and support Viva for Life, if it separates the two in time and message. Your own appeal runs earlier in December on its own page; from 17 to 23 December you visibly support Viva for Life, with a separate call and a separate link.

1. 1 December: start on Giving Tuesday, as in the article on Giving Tuesday and Christmas.
2. 1 to 16 December: your own appeal, with one goal and one page.
3. 17 to 23 December: a challenge or volunteers for Viva for Life, announced separately.
4. 31 December: a last reminder, because gifts count per calendar year for the certificate.

A bilingual charity in Brussels also has to reckon with VRT's De Warmste Week, from 18 to 24 December; there too, action money goes into a shared fund.

When do your donors get a tax certificate?

For Viva for Life, RTBF writes that donors receive a tax certificate for any gift of more than 40 euros made through a challenge's fundraising page. For your own recognised Belgian charity, a personal gift of at least 40 euros a year gives 30% tax relief.

The Belgian Federal Public Service Finance says the gift must be personal, not the proceeds of a collection or collective action, and without anything in return. Tickets, Christmas trees or waffles therefore never qualify, and only a recognised institution can issue the certificate. A gift a donor makes online on a challenge page is not the same as a pot an organiser pays in at once. For gifts since 2024 the charity must ask for the donor's national register number. More in the article on tax certificates for Christmas gifts in Belgium. General information, not tax advice.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

With WeGlow.world you set up a donation page in your own branding, supporters start their own fundraiser page for your campaign, and you see which donors are eligible for a tax certificate. With the paid WeGlow CRM (from €29 per month excl. VAT), a recognised charity sends those certificates with one click after New Year.

A thank-you email goes out automatically once you have filled in a thank-you text. WeGlow.world's four digital Christmas experiences, such as the Glow Room, are ready as a concept until the official launch; look at the demo before you count on it. For the format, start from the Christmas fundraising ideas for a charity in Belgium and the guide to organising a Christmas fundraiser.

Frequently asked questions

Can I organise a Viva for Life challenge for my own charity?

No, a challenge supports the Viva for Life campaign, which then funds charities through a call for projects. To raise money for your own work, run your own appeal, for example with a donation page on WeGlow.world.

Can my charity receive money from Viva for Life?

Yes, if the project reaches children aged 0 to 6 in poverty and you submit an application of at least 5,000 euros to CAP48; the 2026 projects are announced in February or March 2027. WeGlow.world plays no part in that selection.

Do my donors get a tax certificate?

For a challenge, RTBF announces a certificate for any gift of more than 40 euros through the fundraising page. For your recognised charity, a personal gift of at least 40 euros a year gives 30% relief. WeGlow.world asks for the tax details and shows who is eligible; with the paid WeGlow CRM you send the certificates with one click.

Can I run my own appeal during Viva for Life?

Yes. Separate them in time and message: your own appeal earlier in December, your support for Viva for Life from 17 to 23 December, each with its own link. On WeGlow.world, state clearly on your page where the money goes.

Can I use the Viva for Life name or logo?

We found no public rule on this for your own campaigns. Use no logo and do not suggest a partnership; if in doubt, email defivfl@rtbf.be. A WeGlow.world page carries your own name and branding.

Start your own December appeal

Raise money in December for your own charity, alongside or instead of a Viva for Life challenge. You start for free on WeGlow.world: €0 per month, with a 5% platform fee per gift that the donor can choose to cover; Pro costs €40 per month (see the pricing page). Create a free account or ask your question through the contact form.

Sources and checks: RTBF (Viva for Life page and challenge page updated on 18 May 2026), CAP48 rules of the Viva for Life 2026 call for projects, Belgian Federal Public Service Finance (gifts page), checked on 20 October 2026. WeGlow.world is not affiliated with Viva for Life, RTBF or CAP48. General information, not tax advice.