‘Give us space!’ urge Goede Doelen Nederland & partners in new campaign

EFA member Goede Doelen Nederland (GDN) and 14 other umbrella organizations came together on 3 July to launch a seven-point plan to protect civil society.

The campaign launched the week after the collapse of the country’s far right-led Government, which saw GDN react with guarded optimism, saying that the administration had had “far-reaching consequences for a large number of charities”.

New elections will be held on 29 October, and the new ‘Geef ons de ruimte!’ campaign, whose name translates to ‘Give us space!’, aims to secure support from whoever forms the next Government.

Alongside GDN, other partners in the campaign include the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC*NSF); cultural and creative sector groups Kunsten ’92; human rights coalition BMO; and Christian and Jewish group CIO.

The campaign strapline is ‘Samen verzetten we bergen’ (‘Together, we can move mountains’). Its website argues that the Dutch population gives time, money and energy to support these organizations and their ambitions, but that the space these organizations need to do their job is “under pressure”. It says:

“The government is increasingly taking measures that limit the scope for social initiatives. Our freedoms are no longer self-evident.”

The campaign’s seven asks of Government are:

• encouraging volunteering for employees and young people;
• protecting democratic rights and freedoms such as freedom of association and protest;
• strengthening the tax deduction on gifts to increase giving;
• allowing civil society groups to communicate with the public through post, telephone and face-to-face interactions (rather than regulating these channels further);
• getting the right balance of self-regulation and external oversight of such organisations;
• keeping track of the burden posed by new laws and regulations; and
• Preserving and strengthening the existing Dutch Lottery and its support for good causes

The campaign launched with a full-page advertisement in newspaper Trouw, direct communication with politicians, and messaging on LinkedIn and Bluesky. An event will be held in The Hague in September.

Ensuring ‘ruimte’ (space) for the sector is also one of the five policy priorities for GDN itself, as outlined in its new policy plan for 2026-29, unveiled the week before the new, broader campaign.

The plan’s proposals for fundraising include improving public support for fundraising itself, and improving the expertise of fundraisers, as well as ensuring that charities develop their fundraising to reach broader groups of donors, in order to reduce their financial risk. The other three areas in the plan are: ensuring a positive, accurate public perception of the sector; supporting the sector to improve its leadership and innovation; and improving the sector’s digital capabilities.