What Stichting Droomdag does

Stichting Droomdag is a Dutch non-profit foundation (stichting) founded in October 2011 by Mary van Dueren-van der Meer and headquartered in Zeist, Netherlands. The foundation provides free, fully customized "Droomdagen" (Dream Days) — surprise-filled single-day experiences — for families with children under 16 where a parent has an oncological or life-threatening illness. Since founding, the organization has served over 1,200 families, growing from 41 Droomdagen in 2017 to 141 in 2019, with 500 families served by January 2021. After the founder's death in 2015, leadership passed to Anneke de Boer and subsequently to current chair Mirella Eckhardt (appointed May 2024) and director Tamara van Eersel.

The foundation's operational stack is deliberately lightweight. Family case management and coordination run on Microsoft Office 365 Teams with two-factor authentication and secure data transfer via Telefonische Dienst Almere to protect sensitive health information. Online donations flow through the third-party Digicollect platform (used for the "Digitale Collectebus" memorial-donation product), supplemented by Kentaa (personal fundraising actions), Doelshop (shopping-based donations), and Facebook Fundraisers. The product surface consists of three revenue lines: the core Droomdag service, the Droomdagschaapje plush mascot (sold at ~€9.95 and gifted to children), and the Droomdag aan Huis at-home variant launched during COVID-19. Branding, including the heart-symbolized logo, was redesigned by Sandifort ID for the foundation's 10-year anniversary in 2021.

The business model is entirely donation- and grant-funded, with no equity capital. Revenue streams comprise corporate sponsorships at €1,000 per full Droomdag (e.g., OTTO Work Force), individual donations via website/Facebook/memorial collections, foundation and fund grants (Roparun, KWF Kankerbestrijding, Voorzorg Utrecht, Elise Mathilde, Stichting Fonkel), merchandise sales, and third-party shopping-affiliate contributions. Distribution is community-led and referral-driven: families enter the pipeline via hospitals, social workers, and healthcare professionals, or via self-referral through droomdag.nl. The foundation holds ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) status (RSIN 851006930), qualifying donations for Dutch tax deduction. Operations are supported by approximately 80 active volunteers, a four-person volunteer board, and one paid director.

Name

Stichting Droomdag

Legal name

Stichting Droomdag

Website

https://droomdag.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stichting Droomdag is a Dutch non-profit foundation that organizes free, customized "Dream Days" for families with children under 16 where a parent has a life-threatening illness, serving over 1,200 families since 2011 through donation-funded operations and a volunteer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Family Support Services

akta.pro primary industry

Palliative/Serious Illness Adult Day Programs (HLADAIAH)

Keywords

• Charitable family services
• Family memory programs
• Pediatric illness support
• Nonprofit fundraising foundation
• Community volunteer services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zeist

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorship: Companies sponsor Droomdagen at €1,000 per full Droomdag or make one-time corporate donations. Partners like OTTO Work Force provide both financial support and staff volunteers for organized Droomdagen.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of Droomdag Buddy plush sheep (Droomdagschaapje) - a cuddly mascot given to children who experience a Droomdag. Also sold at special events and fairs.
3. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals through website, Facebook fundraising, online collection boxes, and event-based fundraising actions. Includes memorial donations from funerals.
4. Foundation and Fund Grants: Support from various charitable foundations including Roparun, KWF Kankerbestrijding, and regional funds such as Voorzorg Utrecht, Elise Mathilde, and others. Roparun provides ongoing annual support.
5. Third-party Fundraising Platforms: Partnership with Doelshop enabling online shopping donations, Facebook fundraising tools, Kentaa action platform for personal fundraising campaigns, and Split-A-Gift for event-based giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Stichting Droomdag organizes free, fully customized surprise days ("Droomdagen") for Dutch families with children under 16 where a parent has an oncological or life-threatening illness. Each Droomdag is a worry-free day of activities, surprises, professional photography, and volunteer support designed to create lasting memories for the family, allowing children to simply be children during critical life moments such as diagnosis, treatment, or terminal phases of parental illness.

Product overview

Stichting Droomdag operates as a single-service nonprofit organization offering customized dream days for families with a terminally ill parent and children under 16. The core product is the Droomdag (Dream Day) itself - a fully organized surprise day with activities tailored to family wishes. The organization complements this with a plush toy product (Droomdag Buddy/Sheep) sold as merchandise, and an online collection tool (Digitale Collectebus) enabling memorial donations. During COVID-19, they developed an at-home variant (Droomdag aan Huis). The organization collaborates with Stichting Opkikker for venue access and uses third-party platforms for donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Droomdag Buddy: A plush sheep mascot toy that serves as a tangible gift given to children who experience a Droomdag, and is also sold to supporters to raise funds for the foundation.

Products and services

• Droomdag (Dream Day) A fully customized surprise day for Dutch families with children under 16 where one parent has an oncological or life-threatening illness. The day includes activities, food, transportation, professional photography, and volunteer accompaniment tailored to family wishes, allowing children to simply be children during critical phases of parental illness. Provided free of charge to qualifying families.
• Droomdag Buddy (Droomdagschaapje) A plush sheep mascot toy given to every child who experiences a Droomdag as a tangible keepsake. Also sold to supporters for approximately €9.95 at events and via the website, with proceeds supporting the foundation's mission.
• Online Collectebus Digital donation collection system via the Digicollect platform, enabling families and supporters to create online memorial collection pages for funeral donations in memory of loved ones who experienced a Droomdag.
• Droomdag aan Huis (Dream Day at Home) An at-home variant of the standard Droomdag, delivering surprise activities and celebrations directly to families' homes. Developed during COVID-19 when external outings were restricted, allowing the foundation to continue serving families during the pandemic.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,200+ families have experienced a Droomdag, creating lasting memories during critical times
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• FD MediagroepminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 January 2024FD Mediagroep selected Droomdag as winner of their network challenge and donated a full 1/1 advertisement page in Het Financieele Dagblad, providing significant PR value and visibility to corporate network.
• Stichting OpkikkercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2020Partnership formalized in January 2020 where Opkikker shares organizational expertise from organizing 2000 Opkikkerdagen annually. Led to 244% growth in Droomdagen (41 in 2017 to 141 in 2019). Droomdag uses Opkikker facilities at Center Parcs De Eemhof.
• Kenniscentrum FilantropieminorOthersKnowledge center for philanthropy providing resources and support for charitable organizations in the Netherlands.
• Stichting FonkelmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on organizing Droomdagen, particularly hosting events at Fonkelhuis location where families experience special activities.
• IPSOminorOthersMental health support organization listed as supporter.
• DoelshopminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline shopping platform where a percentage of purchases is donated to Droomdag at no extra cost to consumers. Partner retailers include Bol.com, Thuisbezorgd, MediaMarkt, Coolblue.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stichting Villa Pardoes: Dutch charity providing free vacation experiences at a dedicated villa for families with a child (ages 4-12) with a life-threatening illness. Closely comparable model: free, fully organized, family-focused positive-memory experiences for medical-crisis families — though Droomdag targets sick parents, Villa Pardoes targets sick children.
• Make-A-Wish Nederland: Dutch affiliate of Make-A-Wish International grants wishes to children (ages 3-18) with life-threatening medical conditions. Comparable as a wish-granting Dutch charity, though its core model is single wish fulfillment rather than full-day family experiences, and it serves sick children rather than sick parents.
• Stichting Opkikker: Dutch charity organizing 2,000+ 'Opkikkerdagen' annually for families with sick children. Droomdag's named strategic partner and operational mentor; both run surprise-day experiences for families in medical crisis, but Opkikker serves sick children while Droomdag serves children of sick parents.

Broad incumbents

• Hospice Demeter: Dutch palliative care hospice providing end-of-life support. Relevant for the palliative-illness overlap in Droomdag's mission (since Droomdag serves families during terminal phase), but operates as a clinical/end-of-life care provider rather than a family experience charity.
• CliniClowns Nederland: Established Dutch charitable organization bringing clown improvisation to sick children in hospitals and care institutions. Comparable as a large, established Dutch charity using experiential engagement to ease medical-family stress, though operating in a different delivery model (in-facility entertainment vs. day-long outings).
• Stichting Kinderen Kankervrij (KiKa): Major Dutch foundation funding childhood cancer research and treatment. Comparable as a large-scale Dutch cancer-focused charity operating in the same illness-family fundraising space, though structurally a research funder rather than an experiential service provider.
• Stichting Groot tegen Kanker: Dutch charity raising funds for cancer research and patient/family support. Comparable as a Dutch cancer-impact charity, though focused on research funding rather than direct family experience delivery. Listed as a Droomdag supporter.
• Vereniging Ouders, Kinderen en Kanker (VOKK): Dutch association supporting families affected by childhood cancer through information, peer support, and programs. Comparable as a Dutch organization serving families in pediatric cancer crisis, though VOKK focuses on information/peer support rather than orchestrated family experiences — and again targets sick children rather than sick parents.

Others

• Stichting Roparun: Dutch charitable organization running an annual non-stop relay from Rotterdam to Paris, raising funds for cancer patient quality of life. Droomdag's named recurring financial partner; comparable as a Dutch cancer-impact ecosystem player, though operating a fundraising event rather than direct family services.

Regional players

• Stichting Hartekind: Dutch charity funding research and family support for children with congenital heart disease. Comparable as a Dutch disease-focused family-support charity using donations and corporate partnerships, though targeting a different pediatric condition and not offering day-long experiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Stichting-Droomdag-181581621913428
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-droomdag
• Instagraminstagram.com/stichtingdroomdag/?hl=nl

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Stichting Droomdag