The Social Handshake
The Social Handshake is a Dutch fintech operating the LoonGift Payroll Giving SaaS platform, enabling employees to make tax-efficient salary donations to ANBI charities while giving employers a dashboard into workforce charitable preferences. It serves 100+ Dutch employers and 100+ charities, and was acquired by GoodUp in April 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What The Social Handshake does
The Social Handshake is a Dutch fintech/social-impact company founded in 2019 by Sandra van Beest that operates the LoonGift Payroll Giving platform, enabling employees to donate directly from their gross salary to ANBI-verified charities with a tax benefit — effectively multiplying the impact of each donated euro (claimed up to 3x) while ensuring 100% of donations reach charities with no fundraising costs deducted. The web-based SaaS platform integrates with employer payroll systems and provides an employer dashboard showing aggregated employee charitable preferences, alongside additional themed giving products (Emergency Giving, Christmas/Bonus/Birthday/Holiday Giving, Charity Gift Cards, and Corporate Fundraisers). The company also enables self-service registration for ANBI charities.
The company monetizes on a subscription-recurring basis through two streams: (1) employer platform fees covering administration, and (2) charity subscription fees of €99–€499/year scaled to charity revenue (with discounts for Goede Doelen Nederland members and B-Corps). Its go-to-market is sales-led and inside-sales hybrid, primarily targeting Dutch employers via website demo requests, with a self-service portal for charities. Customer base spans 100+ employers across financial services, consulting, technology, hospitality, and apparel — including BUX, Squla, Bain & Company, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Van Lanschot Kempen, MR MARVIS, and Incentro (its first major customer and platform co-developer). Strategic partnerships with PwC, De Brauw, and Loyens & Loeff, plus a Belastingdienst agreement, established the legal and tax framework for Payroll Giving in the Netherlands.
Operationally the company is small (11–50 employees, headquartered at the Social Impact Factory in Utrecht), raised €1.1M in seed funding in May 2022 from JEX and Velocity Fintech Capital, achieved B-Corp certification in August 2024, and was acquired by GoodUp in April 2026 — combining Payroll Giving with GoodUp's employee volunteering platform to offer an integrated employee engagement proposition.
The Social Handshake firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Social Handshake
- Legal name
- The Social Handshake
- Website
- https://thesocialhandshake.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Social Handshake is a Dutch fintech operating the LoonGift Payroll Giving SaaS platform, enabling employees to make tax-efficient salary donations to ANBI charities while giving employers a dashboard into workforce charitable preferences. It serves 100+ Dutch employers and 100+ charities, and was acquired by GoodUp in April 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Social Handshake industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payroll Giving Software
- NAICS
- Payroll Services (541214), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Help Supply Services (7363)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Benefits Administration & Total Rewards Outsourcing (BPACAKAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Instant Payouts & Earned Wage Access (EWA) (FSAMAKAM)
Keywords
Where The Social Handshake is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Social Handshake business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Employer Platform Fees: Employers pay for the administration and platform costs, ensuring that every donated euro goes entirely to the charity. This is the primary revenue model where the company charges employers for access to the payroll giving platform and administrative services.
- Charity Subscription Fees: Charities pay an annual subscription fee to be registered, verified, and uploaded to the platform. Fees range from €99 to €499 depending on charity size. Members of Goede Doelen Nederland receive a 15% discount.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Charity subscription fee based on total revenue < €100K |
| Subscription | Annual | Charity subscription fee based on total revenue €100K-€500K |
| Subscription | Annual | Charity subscription fee based on total revenue €500K-€2M |
| Subscription | Annual | Charity subscription fee based on total revenue €2M-€5M |
| Subscription | Annual | Charity subscription fee based on total revenue > €5M |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Social Handshake product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Social Handshake operates LoonGift, a SaaS Payroll Giving platform that enables Dutch employees to donate directly from their gross salary to registered charities with automatic tax benefits. Employers pay the platform administration fees so that 100% of each donation reaches the chosen charity, and the platform also offers complementary giving products such as Emergency Giving, Christmas Giving, Birthday Giving, Charity Gift Cards, Bonus Giving, Holiday Giving, Fundraisers, and Corporate Giving. Charities with ANBI status register on the platform through a self-service flow with tiered annual subscriptions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Payroll Giving: Platform allowing employees to donate part of their salary to charity tax-free through payroll deductions.
- Emergency Giving
- Christmas Giving
- Birthday Giving
- Charity Gift Card
- Bonus Giving
- Holiday Giving
- Corporate Giving
Products and services
- Payroll Giving (LoonGift) Core SaaS platform that lets employees donate a fixed amount from each salary directly to a charity of their choice, with automatic processing through employer payroll and Dutch tax benefits. Designed for Dutch employers who want to offer a social impact employee benefit, and for employees who want frictionless, tax-efficient recurring giving.
- Emergency Giving Standalone giving product that enables companies and employees to make rapid emergency aid donations to disaster relief and humanitarian crisis efforts through the platform. Targeted at employers wanting a quick-response charitable vehicle for crisis situations.
- Christmas Giving Standalone offering that lets employers give employees a holiday-season budget to donate to charities of their choice as an alternative to traditional Christmas hampers or gift packages.
- Birthday Giving Standalone product that allows employees to donate portions of their birthday recognition budget to charities of their choice via the platform.
- Charity Gift Card Digital gift cards issued through the platform that recipients can allocate to any registered charity on the Social Handshake, positioned as an alternative to traditional corporate gifts.
- Bonus Giving Standalone product that enables employees to direct part or all of their work bonuses to charitable causes through the Social Handshake platform.
- Holiday Giving Standalone product that lets employees allocate holiday-related monetary benefits from their employer to charitable donations through the platform.
- Fundraiser Corporate fundraising product for organizing charitable campaigns and collections during company events through the platform.
- Corporate Giving Standalone product that enables companies to support one or more charities through direct donations, profit-sharing programs, or Charity Gift Cards, with the option to choose charities themselves or poll employees.
Quantifiable outcome
- €1 donation through Payroll Giving can be worth up to €3 for charities due to tax benefits and employer matching
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Social Handshake
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Social Handshake technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
The Social Handshake partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.
- GoodUpflagshipGoodUp is acquiring The Social Handshake to join forces. Both organizations share the mission of helping companies and employees make positive social impact. The Social Handshake specialized in Payroll Giving while GoodUp focuses on employee volunteering. This collaboration brings employee giving and volunteering closer together.
- IncentrocoreBuilt the LoonGift platform and first major user with 360 employees. Incentro developed a scalable platform in short timeframe and currently uses the platform for employee donations.
- PwCsupportingContributed to make the Payroll Giving concept legally possible in the Netherlands. Provided expertise on legal and regulatory framework.
- De Brauw Blackstone WestbroeksupportingContributed to make the Payroll Giving concept legally possible. Provided legal expertise for structuring the platform.
- Loyens & LoeffsupportingContributed to make the Payroll Giving concept legally possible. Assisted with tax and legal framework.
- Belastingdienst (Dutch Tax Authority)coreAgreement signed with Dutch Tax Authority to enable tax-efficient Payroll Giving donations in the Netherlands.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Social Handshake competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GivePulse: Community engagement platform enabling volunteer tracking, donations and grants management for companies and nonprofits. Overlaps with TSH's employer dashboard and charity network functionality.
- GoodUp: Acquirer of The Social Handshake in 2026 and operator of an employee volunteering SaaS platform serving employers in the same Dutch/European CSR and employee engagement category. Directly comparable business model (B2B SaaS for workplace impact programs).
- Bright Funds: Employee giving and corporate philanthropy platform used by enterprises to run payroll giving, matching gifts and grants programs. Same three-sided employer/employee/charity model as TSH.
- CyberGrants (Bonterra): Corporate giving and employee engagement platform within the Bonterra suite, offering workplace giving, matching gifts and volunteer grants for US enterprises. Directly comparable workplace-giving SaaS category.
Broad incumbents
- Benevity: Market-leading North American CSR and employee giving SaaS platform covering payroll giving, volunteering, grants and community impact for large global employers. Overlaps directly with TSH's payroll giving and corporate giving product on a much larger scale.
- Workday: Cloud HR and finance platform whose benefits administration and payroll modules interface with the same employer buyers as TSH. Represents platform-level competitive risk or a future integration channel.
- Blackbaud: Large US-listed nonprofit and corporate social responsibility software vendor (YourCause/Goodness dyn) offering workplace giving, grants and volunteer management at enterprise scale. Addresses the same employer purchaser with adjacent functionality.
Regional players
- Charities Aid Foundation (CAF): UK-based charity operating the country's Payroll Giving administration infrastructure. Same payroll giving/category but UK-centric; relevant peer for category validation and as a potential partner or competitor if TSH expands beyond the Netherlands.
Emerging players
- Millie App: Mobile-first employee engagement and micro-giving app integrating payroll/benefit deductions with charitable giving. Similar fringe-benefit-style giving product targeted at younger workforces.
- Alaya: Corporate purpose and employee engagement platform with giving, volunteering and impact modules for mid-market employers. Comparable product surface (payroll-integrated giving plus volunteering) to TSH's roadmap post-GoodUp.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Social Handshake social profiles
Digital presenceThe Social Handshake compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Social Handshake financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Social Handshake leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Social Handshake funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Social Handshake M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Social Handshake
What does The Social Handshake do?
The Social Handshake operates LoonGift, a SaaS Payroll Giving platform that enables Dutch employees to donate directly from their gross salary to registered charities with automatic tax benefits. Employers pay the platform administration fees so that 100% of each donation reaches the chosen charity, and the platform also offers complementary giving products such as Emergency Giving, Christmas Giving, Birthday Giving, Charity Gift Cards, Bonus Giving, Holiday Giving, Fundraisers, and Corporate Giving. Charities with ANBI status register on the platform through a self-service flow with tiered annual subscriptions.
Is The Social Handshake a public or private company?
The Social Handshake is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was The Social Handshake founded?
The Social Handshake was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Social Handshake based?
The Social Handshake is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does The Social Handshake make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Employer Platform Fees are the primary driver. The others are charity Subscription Fees.
Who are The Social Handshake's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GivePulse, GoodUp, Bright Funds and CyberGrants (Bonterra). Broad incumbents are Benevity, Workday and Blackbaud. Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Millie App and Alaya.
Does The Social Handshake have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Social Handshake.
What industry is The Social Handshake in?
The Social Handshake's product category is Payroll Giving Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAKAE, Benefits Administration & Total Rewards Outsourcing, with a secondary code of FSAMAKAM, Instant Payouts & Earned Wage Access (EWA). Its NAICS code is 541214 and its SIC code is 7363.