What Activate does

Activate is a Netherlands-founded face-to-face marketing agency that recruits donors on behalf of non-profit organizations through door-to-door field teams operating across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Haarlem, the company runs approximately 35–49 physical offices in these four countries and employs a workforce that is predominantly Gen Z students and part-time promoters, organized in a structured career ladder from Rookie to Branch Manager and trained via an in-house Talent Academy. Activate serves 30+ NGO clients, including Save the Children, UNICEF, Red Cross, WWF, Amnesty International, KiKa, and KWF Kankerbestrijding, deploying field teams to residential neighborhoods, shopping centers, and city centers to personally engage prospective donors and sign them up as recurring contributors.

The core service offering is human-powered door-to-door donor recruitment; there is no proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI component described in the source material, and the company's underlying "technology" is its codified field sales methodology, training curriculum, and mobile Reiseteam (travel team) operating model. Distribution is exclusively direct field sales — no intermediaries, no digital products, and no online self-service channel. Revenue mechanics are transaction-fee based: Activate earns fees or commissions tied to donor sign-ups and donations recruited on behalf of NGO clients, while promoter compensation is paid on the employer side (€10–35/hour base plus performance bonuses, weekly or monthly billing). Customer acquisition for the agency itself runs through localized career websites, social media recruitment (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), and employee referral programs, with sub-branded regional operations (Activate Nederland, Deutschland, Belgie/Belgique, Luxembourg) and a dedicated German legal entity (Activate GmbH, Cologne) supporting country-level execution.

Name

Activate

Legal name

Activate GmbH

Website

https://activate.works

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Activate is a Netherlands-based face-to-face marketing agency operating across the Benelux and DACH regions, deploying field teams to recruit donors door-to-door for 30+ non-profit clients including UNICEF, Red Cross, and Save the Children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Field Marketing & Fundraising Services

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Experiential Staffing & Brand Ambassadors (MPAAAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Door-to-door fundraising
• Face-to-face marketing
• NGO donor recruitment
• Field marketing services
• Charity fundraising campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Haarlem

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices26 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Face-to-Face Marketing Services for NGOs: Activate provides door-to-door donor recruitment services for non-profit organizations. The company generates revenue by conducting fundraising campaigns on behalf of NGOs, earning fees or commissions based on donor sign-ups and donations recruited.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Activate is a face-to-face marketing agency that recruits donors for non-profit organizations through door-to-door field campaigns in residential neighborhoods, shopping centers, and city centers. The company deploys trained promoter teams across approximately 35-49 offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg to run donor-recruitment campaigns on behalf of more than 30 NGO clients. Its service is delivered by a primarily student/Gen Z workforce structured through an internal Talent Academy that supports a progression path from Rookie to Promoter, Captain, Sales Manager, and Branch Manager.

Product overview

Activate is a face-to-face marketing agency operating across 4 countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg) with approximately 35-49 offices. The company specializes in door-to-door donor recruitment for non-profit organizations (NGOs), working with over 30 charitable organizations. The core service offering consists of human-powered marketing campaigns where teams of recruiters (primarily students) engage with people in residential areas, shopping centers, and neighborhoods to inspire donations for various causes. Activate also offers a range of employment opportunities including student jobs, part-time positions, and career-track management roles, all supported by their Talent Academy training program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Face-to-Face Marketing Services for NGOs Door-to-door donor recruitment service delivered by trained field teams on behalf of non-profit organizations. The service is the company's primary revenue-generating offering and is sold to NGOs that need to acquire and retain individual donors across the Benelux and DACH regions.

Named customers20 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cactus Life: Cactus (formerly Dialogue/Direct Dialogue) is a UK-based face-to-face fundraising agency recruiting regular donors for charities via street and door-to-door teams. Directly comparable to Activate in service model, target clients (NGOs), and donor-recruitment orientation.
• Dialogue Direct: Dialogue Direct is a German direct-dialogue fundraising agency that recruits donors on behalf of NGOs through face-to-face conversations in public spaces and door-to-door. It is one of Activate's closest competitors in the DACH market for NGO donor acquisition.
• PSI (Population Services International) - Face-to-Face Fundraising: PSI operates a global face-to-face fundraising arm that recruits donors via street and door-to-door teams for health and humanitarian causes. Comparable to Activate in deploying F2F fundraising operations across multiple countries to acquire long-term NGO donors.
• Qpid Global: Qpid Global (formerly PSA/Doorway) operates face-to-face sales and donor-recruitment campaigns for non-profits in multiple markets. Directly comparable to Activate in door-to-door methodology, target non-profit clients, and field-team deployment model.
• Appco Group: Appco Group is a global face-to-face marketing, direct sales, and customer acquisition agency operating across multiple continents. It competes directly with Activate in the F2F marketing-for-clients model, including door-to-door and event-based customer recruitment across multiple verticals.
• Globalfaces Direct: Globalfaces Direct is a face-to-face fundraising agency specializing in door-to-door and street donor acquisition for non-profits across North America and internationally. Directly comparable to Activate in mission, F2F methodology, and exclusive NGO client focus.

Broad incumbents

• Gekko Group: Gekko is a European field-marketing and brand-experience agency providing brand ambassadors, retail activations, and event marketing to commercial clients. Comparable to Activate in deploying trained brand-ambassador field teams at scale across European markets, though concentrated in commercial verticals.
• CPM Group: CPM Group is a large international field, sales, and marketing activation agency operating across Europe. While not NGO-specialized, it overlaps with Activate in deploying branded field teams and consumer-acquisition campaigns across multiple European countries.

Emerging players

• Grassroots Campaign Creators: Grassroots is a US and UK-based canvassing and field campaign firm running door-to-door advocacy, fundraising, and political outreach programs. Overlaps with Activate in deploying door-to-door teams on behalf of mission-driven clients, though with more political/advocacy tilt.

Others

• TWBA / TBA Field Marketing Agencies (TMA): TBA is a European field-marketing and brand-activation specialist offering staffing, retail, and event activations. Comparable to Activate only at the operational layer of deploying trained field teams — though focused on commercial activation work rather than NGO donor recruitment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/activate.works
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/activateworks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Activate