de Gift City

What de Gift City does

De Gift City is a Dutch nonprofit foundation (stichting) founded May 1, 2015, headquartered at Rieteweg 12, Zwolle, Netherlands, operating five integrated components under one roof: City Café (hospitality and catering), Twinkelwinkel (discount retail selling donated items at 50% retail), Talentenbureau (volunteer intake and administrative hub), Meubelloods (free furniture redistribution for people in need), and Keuken (HACCP-certified professional kitchen). Approximately 150 volunteers work weekly across all components, and the organization has facilitated the transition of more than 125 volunteers into sustainable paid employment over its first five years.

The target population is people who have experienced life setbacks (job loss, health issues, personal circumstances) who find the step to paid employment overwhelming. De Gift City positions itself as a bridge — referred to in its own materials as 'bruggen bouwen' (building bridges) — providing work rhythm, social contact, and reintegration at the volunteer's own pace. The proprietary Twinkels reward system encapsulates the engagement loop: volunteers earn points for their service, which can be redeemed for items from the Twinkelwinkel or donated goods such as bed sets.

The business model is hybrid. Operating revenue is generated through café dining, catering, high tea, take-away (Tue-Fri 11:00-15:00), private event rentals, and Twinkelwinkel retail sales. Pricing is transaction-based, exemplified by the €50 five-course Christmas dinner (which includes a second dinner for a non-paying guest referred by a social organization). Revenue is supplemented by donations and small grants (€1,844.77 from Rabo ClubSupport in 2019, €1,250 from Half Marathon Zwolle in 2022). The organization holds ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) public benefit status and is KVK-registered (578 058 81), with NVWA-validated HACCP compliance in the kitchen. Distribution is exclusively physical at the single Zwolle location; there is no online product delivery, no app, and no API.

Name

de Gift City

Legal name

De Gift City

Website

https://degiftcity.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

De Gift City is a Dutch nonprofit foundation in Zwolle that operates a five-component social enterprise (café, thrift store, talent bureau, furniture warehouse, kitchen) where approximately 150 weekly volunteers — primarily people facing life setbacks — gain work experience, with over 125 transitioned to paid employment since 2015.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Donation, Consignment & Resale Coordination (HSAFAFAG)

Keywords

• Social enterprise
• Volunteer placement
• Community social services
• Charity foundation
• Discount retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Zwolle

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. City Café (Catering & Dining): The City Café generates revenue through lunch, dinner, and event catering services. It hosts private events, company gatherings, and special dinners. The 5-course Christmas dinner costs €50 per person, with paid guests subsidizing free meals for those in need. Take-away service also available.
2. Twinkelwinkel (Retail Sales): The Twinkelwinkel sells new donated items (restpartijen, return shipments from companies, unused items from individuals) at half the original retail price. This creates revenue while providing affordable goods to the community.
3. Meubelloods (Furniture Redistribution): The Meubelloods accepts donated furniture and redistributes it for free to people who cannot afford to purchase furniture themselves. This is a social service rather than revenue-generating.
4. Event Hosting & Venue Rental: The City Café and meeting rooms are rented out for events of political parties, associations, companies, and organizations. Contact via [email protected].
5. Donations & Charitable Support: As an ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling), De Gift City receives donations. Currently iDEAL is not active but bank transfers can be made to NL19 RABO 0106 4799 11.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

De Gift City is a Dutch social enterprise foundation that combines a volunteer café (City Café), a discount retail shop (Twinkelwinkel), a furniture donation warehouse (Meubelloods), a volunteer placement bureau (Talentenbureau), and a professional kitchen (Keuken) at a single location in Zwolle. It serves people who have experienced life setbacks such as job loss, health issues, or personal hardship by providing a structured volunteering environment where they can regain work rhythm, social contacts, and — where possible — transition to paid employment. Revenue is generated from café/dining sales, catering/venue rental, retail of donated goods at half the retail price, individual donations, and grants.

Product overview

De Gift City is a social enterprise foundation based in Zwolle, Netherlands, offering a multi-component volunteer-based ecosystem. The organization consists of five interconnected components: the City Café (hospitality/social workspace), Twinkelwinkel (discount retail shop), Talentenbureau (administrative hub/volunteer placement), Meubelloods (furniture donation warehouse), and Keuken (professional kitchen). Additional services include Take Away food service, High Tea offerings, and the annual 5-Gangen Kerstdiner event. The organization also operates a reward points system called Twinkelsysteem and a free book exchange called Minibieb. The model enables volunteers facing life setbacks to regain work rhythm, develop skills, and transition toward paid employment while serving the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 125 volunteers transitioned to sustainable paid employment in the first 5 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Klus in de WijkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTogether with Klus in de Wijk, De Gift City ensures that donated furniture is picked up, distributed, and delivered to Zwolle residents who need it. This partnership enables the Meubelloods to serve people without transportation or financial means.
• XelvinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerXelvin is a detaching (staffing) agency that collaborates with De Gift City. They believe in low-threshold, human-centered initiatives where people can rebuild trust and where talent is not lost. Xelvin publicly shares the story of De Gift City on their website as an example of meaningful collaboration.
• GGD IJssellandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGGD IJsselland has held its New Year event at De Gift City for multiple consecutive years (at least 3 years). The organization hosts 350+ employees at the venue for team building and appreciation events.
• SWZ (Woningcorporatie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWZ is a housing corporation that works with De Gift City year-round. They hold annual Christmas gatherings at the venue and have donated gift coupons to purchase items from the Twinkelwinkel for Ukraine refugees. SWZ also refers tenants who need furniture assistance to the Meubelloods.
• ChristenUnie (CU) ZwolleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe local branch of ChristenUnie held their New Year reception at the City Café, with Minister Slob in attendance. This demonstrates the organization's role as a venue for political and community gatherings.
• Various local businesses and entrepreneurscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal entrepreneurs and companies donate restpartijen, return shipments, and unused items to the Twinkelwinkel and Meubelloods. This 'gunfactor' (favor factor) is essential to De Gift City's ability to provide affordable goods and free furniture.
• Hornbach ZwolleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHornbach Zwolle organized a 'Goedzak actie' (donation campaign) where customers could donate toys for children from families in need. Large boxes of toys were delivered to De Gift City.
• Rikels SlaapexpertsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRikels Slaapexperts donated 4 complete new bed sets to be given to volunteers who could not otherwise afford them. Volunteers could pay with saved Twinkels (loyalty points).
• Multiple social organizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizations like Herberg, Kadera, GewoonZes, Creating Balance, JP v.d. Bent, and Philadelphia refer guests to De Gift City's Christmas dinners and other services. These social organizations serve people who have little to nothing.
• Veilig Thuis IJssellandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDe Gift City and Veilig Thuis IJsselland have entered into a partnership to support vulnerable people in the region.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Buurtzorg Nederland: Large Dutch community-care and reintegration organization with similar empowerment-through-work philosophy. Broader healthcare focus but overlapping social-reintegration mission and Dutch operating context.
• Leger des Heils Re-integratie: Major Dutch social-services organization operating reintegration, shelter, and thrift (Kringloop) programs nationally. Comparable in mission (work reintegration, donated-goods resale) but at significantly larger national scale.
• United Way (algemeen) / lokale equivalenten: Federated giving and community-impact model analogous to De Gift City's role as a multi-service community hub receiving corporate and individual donations and distributing impact in Zwolle.

Direct peers

• Emmaus Nederland: Federation of Dutch Emmaus communities combining thrift shops, residential communities, and social reintegration for people facing exclusion. Directly comparable volunteer-driven, multi-component model with retail and social services under one umbrella.
• Het Goed: Dutch chain of thrift stores that resells donated goods and channels proceeds to social and sustainability goals. Closely comparable to the Twinkelwinkel and Meubelloods donation-to-resale/redistribution pipeline.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Netherlands): Dutch arm of Habitat for Humanity running ReStores that sell donated furniture and home goods to fund housing programs. Comparable donation-to-resale model with social-mission funding tie-in.
• Kringloopwinkel (generic Dutch thrift): Network of Dutch secondhand/kringloop stores reselling donated furniture and household goods, often linked to social employment programs. Comparable furniture-redistribution and social-employment mechanics.

Regional players

• Samenwerkende Bedrijven Zwolle (or similar Zwolle business networks): Regional Zwolle-area business networks that channel restpartijen and corporate donations to social causes. Comparable regional donor and corporate-partnership dynamics in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-gift-city

Compliance2 records

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 de Gift City