Alternative to De Warmste Week: raise funds for your charity

Belgium's Warmste Week 2026 pools all money in one fund. How a Belgian charity also raises funds for itself in December, with a tax certificate.

In short De Warmste Week, the December charity marathon of Flemish public broadcaster VRT in Belgium, runs from Friday 18 to Thursday 24 December 2026 in Mechelen. Everything an action raises goes into one fund for 216 selected projects; you cannot pick your own charity. If yours is not one of them, run your own year-end appeal alongside or instead. 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: De Warmste Week in Flanders and Viva for Life in Wallonia and Brussels. Both are well-loved campaigns. This article explains where the money from a Warmste Week action goes and how a Belgian charity raises money for its own work in the same month. WeGlow.world is not affiliated with VRT or De Warmste Week.

Can a Warmste Week action raise money for your own charity?

No. According to the De Warmste Week questions page (in Dutch), all income goes to the De Warmste Week fund (DWW fund), managed by the King Baudouin Foundation. An independent jury chose 216 projects; whoever organises an action does not choose which project gets the money.

The call for projects ran from 20 May to 18 June 2026 and is closed. According to the VRT announcement of 28 September 2026, the projects receive financial support in 2027. If your charity is not one of them, an action brings no money to your own work.

How does De Warmste Week work in 2026?

De Warmste Week 2026 runs from Friday 18 to Thursday 24 December at the provincial recreation area De Nekker in Mechelen, under the theme "Een warme thuis voor iedereen" (a warm home for everyone). Anyone can organise an action that meets the official conditions and register it on the De Warmste Week website.

Minors need their parents' permission to organise an action.

When is taking part in De Warmste Week the right choice?

Take part if your cause fits the theme, if your charity is one of the 216 projects, or if your volunteers want to join in with the whole of Flanders. De Warmste Week then gives your action visibility that is hard to reach on your own.

• Your charity is a selected project: every action feeds the fund that supports you in 2027.
• You mainly want to show solidarity, and your own December income is not a priority.
• Your supporters ask to join in with the whole of Flanders themselves.
• Your donors do not need a tax certificate, or give separately through "Steun De Warmste Week".

What changes when you raise funds for your own charity?

With your own year-end appeal, the money goes to your own work, you choose the goal and you know who gave, so you can thank people personally. You do miss De Warmste Week's media attention across Flanders.

Can you do both without confusing your supporters?

Your charity can run its own appeal and support De Warmste Week, if it separates the two in time and message. Your own appeal runs earlier in December on its own page; in the week of 18 December you visibly help De Warmste Week, 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 17 December: your own appeal, with one goal and one page.
3. 18 to 24 December: volunteers or a small action for De Warmste Week, announced separately.
4. 31 December: a last reminder, because gifts count per calendar year for the certificate.

Say on every page and in every email where the money goes. Two calls with the same photo and the same words look like one campaign to donors. In Wallonia and Brussels, Viva for Life (RTBF and CAP48) plays the same role from 17 to 23 December.

When do your donors get a tax certificate?

For De Warmste Week, the proceeds of an action give no right to a tax certificate; only a direct donation through "Steun De Warmste Week" does. 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 collective collection or action, and without anything in return. Tickets, Christmas trees or waffles therefore never qualify. 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.

Set up your own December appeal in six weeks

Six weeks is enough for your own year-end appeal: one goal, one page, three emails and supporters who raise money with you. Start around 20 October and you are ready for 1 December.

1. Choose one concrete goal with an amount, separate from the De Warmste Week theme.
2. Set up a donation page with amounts that say what a gift does.
3. Ask three to five supporters to start their own fundraiser page.
4. Plan three emails: announcement, appeal and thank-you.
5. Pick a format from the Christmas fundraising ideas for a charity.
6. Follow the weeks in the schedule for a Christmas fundraiser.

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.

Frequently asked questions

Can I organise a Warmste Week action for my own charity?

No. All action income goes to the DWW fund for the 216 selected projects, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation. To raise money for your own work, run your own appeal, for example with a donation page on WeGlow.world.

Can I take part in De Warmste Week and run my own appeal at the same time?

Yes. Separate them in time and message: your own appeal earlier in December, your help for De Warmste Week in the week of 18 December, each with its own link. On WeGlow.world, state clearly on your page where the money goes.

Do my donors get a tax certificate?

Not for the proceeds of a Warmste Week action. Yes for a personal gift of at least 40 euros a year to your recognised Belgian charity, with 30% tax 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 use the De Warmste Week name or logo?

The De Warmste Week questions page says nothing about it for your own campaigns. Use no logo for your own appeal and do not suggest a partnership; ask VRT if in doubt. A WeGlow.world page carries your own name and branding.

When should my own year-end appeal be ready?

Allow six weeks: start around 20 October and everything is ready for Giving Tuesday on 1 December 2026. With WeGlow.world you set up the donation page for free before you announce it.

Start your own year-end appeal

Raise money in December for your own charity, alongside or instead of an action for De Warmste Week. 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: De Warmste Week questions page and VRT announcement of 28 September 2026, Belgian Federal Public Service Finance (gifts page), checked on 20 October 2026. WeGlow.world is not affiliated with VRT or De Warmste Week. General information, not tax advice.