Open Doors Nederland

What Open Doors Nederland does

Open Doors Nederland (Stichting Open Doors Nederland) is a Dutch non-profit foundation headquartered in Ermelo, Gelderland, founded in 1955 by Anne van der Bijl (known internationally as Brother Andrew) to support persecuted Christians worldwide. The Dutch entity employs approximately 26 staff and functions as the national fundraising, advocacy, and engagement arm of the broader global Open Doors network, which operates in more than 60 countries through 25 offices and a workforce of more than 1,400 colleagues. Its mission centers on delivering Bibles, Christian literature, training, trauma care, emergency aid, and advocacy support to persecuted Christian communities, while mobilizing Dutch supporters through prayer networks, donations, events, education programs, and church partnerships.

The organization operates a portfolio of programs and digital products rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include the bimonthly Open Doors Magazine, the GebedsApp prayer mobile application on iOS and Android, the annual Ranglijst Christenvervolging (World Watch List) ranking 50 countries on Christian persecution, the Bezoekerscentrum visitor center in Ermelo (expanded in 2024 with the Smokkelbos exhibit), the Shockwave youth prayer movement, the Geheime Vrienden children's educational package, the Muskathlon sports fundraising program, Jongerenreizen (youth travel) and Virtuele Reizen (virtual travel) programs, an e-commerce webshop, and a network of approximately 50 active women's prayer groups across the Netherlands. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, combining church partnerships, school programs, a speaker bureau, and direct-to-consumer digital channels including social media, monthly email newsletters, and livestreamed events.

The business model is donation-driven and diversified across recurring monthly subscriptions (€10–€100+), one-time gifts, corporate giving, legacy/bequest programs, event ticket sales (€7.50 per ticket), youth travel fees (€2,214 plus €1,000 fundraising requirement for trips to locations such as Mexico), and merchandise sales. In 2024, 84.5% of income was allocated to mission objectives with 8.5% on fundraising and 2.5% on administration. The organization holds ANBI tax-exempt status from the Dutch tax authority and CBF Erkend Goed Doel certification from the Dutch fundraising authority, providing donor tax-deductibility and governance transparency. Founder Anne van der Bijl passed away in September 2022; the work continues through the global team.

Name

Open Doors Nederland

Legal name

Stichting Open Doors Nederland

Website

https://opendoors.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Doors Nederland is a Dutch non-profit foundation founded in 1955 that supports persecuted Christians worldwide through Bibles, training, and advocacy, mobilizing Dutch donors via the GebedsApp, World Watch List, events, and church networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious charitable services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Christian persecution support
• Religious freedom advocacy
• Charitable donation programs
• Intercessory prayer resources
• Humanitarian Christian aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Ermelo

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Recurring monthly donations and one-time gifts from individual supporters. Donation amounts range from €10 to €100+ with options for custom amounts.
2. Donor-funded Operations: Primary funding comes from donors. In 2024, 84.5% of income was allocated to mission objectives (Bible distribution, training, aid, and advocacy).
3. Travel Services: Group trips to persecuted church locations. Youth trips (18-25 years) cost €2,214 + €1,000 fundraising. Proceeds support local Christians.
4. Merchandise Sales: Webshop selling books, materials, World Watch List, and children's resources like the Geheime Vrienden (Secret Friends) package.
5. Event Tickets: Ticket sales for events such as Open Doors-dag (€7.50 per ticket) and Vrouwenevent (€7.50 per ticket).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels14 records

Core offering

Open Doors Nederland is a Dutch Christian non-profit foundation (Stichting) that supports persecuted Christians worldwide through prayer, advocacy, and material aid. Its core offerings center on donation-funded sponsorship of believers in restricted nations, the annual World Watch List country ranking, a printed magazine and prayer app, supporter events, youth programs, a visitor center, and an own-brand webshop of Christian resources and merchandise.

Product overview

Open Doors Nederland is a Christian charitable organization (stichting) supporting persecuted Christians worldwide. Its portfolio is a collection of programs, events, and resources rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the bimonthly Open Doors Magazine, the GebedsApp (mobile app for iOS and Android), the annual Ranglijst Christenvervolging (World Watch List) publication, and the Open Doors Bezoekerscentrum visitor center in Ermelo. These are supported by engagement programs including the annual Open Doors-dag event (with livestream), the Vrouwenevent women's gathering, the Shockwave youth prayer movement, Geheime Vrienden children's packages, Jongerenreizen and Virtuele Reizen travel programs, and an e-commerce Webshop selling books and materials. The organization has no public-facing API or AI-enabled products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Watch List Annual research-driven publication ranking 50 countries by severity of Christian persecution; used by supporters, churches, journalists, and policymakers for advocacy and prayer mobilization.
• Donor Sponsorship Program Monthly standing-order and one-time donation programs that channel individual contributions into Bibles, trauma care, emergency relief, and discipleship for persecuted Christians worldwide.
• Open Doors Magazine Printed periodical distributed to Dutch supporters with testimonies from persecuted Christians, prayer requests, and ministry updates.
• Prayer App Mobile application delivering daily prayer requests, country-specific prayer points tied to the World Watch List, and devotional content to supporters.
• Open Doors-dag (Annual Conference) Annual in-person supporter event in the Netherlands featuring worship, teaching, persecuted-church testimonies, and ministry updates.
• Vrouwenevent (Women's Event) Dedicated annual event for female Dutch supporters focused on teaching, fellowship, and prayer for the persecuted global church.
• Youth Programs Mission-education curricula, youth events, and resources tailored for Dutch Christian youth groups and student ministries.
• Visitor Center On-site visitor center at the Ermelo headquarters offering tours, exhibitions, and educational programming about the persecuted global church.
• Open Doors Webshop Own-brand e-commerce webshop selling Bibles, books, devotionals, and Christian-themed merchandise to Dutch supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 388 million Christians supported worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LivingstonecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTravel partner managing bookings for Open Doors group trips to persecuted church locations. Handles logistics, insurance, and booking processes for youth trips and other travel programs.
• 4e MusketierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint organizer of Muskathlon events combining athletic challenges with support for persecuted Christians. First Muskathlon held in 2013 for Open Doors.
• CompassionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer co-organizer of initial Muskathlon event in 2013. Collaboration ended as Open Doors developed independent programming.
• Local Churches and PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of local churches, Christian networks, and organizations in 60+ countries where Open Doors provides support to persecuted Christians. Partners include local Christian communities and aid organizations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mensen met een Missie: Dutch Christian NGO working internationally on peacebuilding, interfaith dialogue, and persecuted-community support. Overlaps with Open Doors in supporting religious minorities and engages a similar Dutch Christian supporter base through newsletters, events, and donation programs.
• Woord en Daad: Dutch Christian development organization working on education, economic empowerment, and aid in developing countries. Comparable as a Dutch faith-based NGO with similar fundraising formats (sponsorship, events, webshop, monthly giving) targeting the same evangelical Dutch supporter demographic.
• Tearfund Nederland: Dutch arm of the international evangelical relief organization Tearfund. Engages Dutch Christian donors around global poverty, persecution, and disaster response through similar channels (sponsorship, events, digital campaigns) — competing directly for the evangelical Dutch donor segment.
• Kerk in Nood (Aid to the Church in Need): Direct Dutch peer also supporting persecuted Christians worldwide through prayer, advocacy, and aid. Operates as a Catholic foundation with similar mission focus, donor base, and engagement formats (magazine, campaigns, youth outreach), making it the closest direct competitor in the Netherlands.
• Open Doors International: Global parent network of which Open Doors Nederland is a member office. Operates the same mission across 25 offices and 60+ countries, with shared brand, World Watch List, and programmatic DNA — most directly comparable peer for benchmarking scale, fundraising model, and mission execution.
• ZOA: Dutch humanitarian relief organization with Christian roots, focused on refugee support and recovery in conflict zones (overlaps with Open Doors' Middle East and African footprint). Engages similar Dutch donor segments and operates comparable programmatic and event-based fundraising.
• Dorcas: Major Dutch Christian relief and development NGO operating internationally in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Shares target donor base (Dutch evangelicals), community-driven fundraising model, magazine outreach, and bequest programs — a structural peer in scale and operations.
• Compassion Nederland: Major Dutch Christian child-sponsorship NGO previously partnered with Open Doors on the Muskathlon event. Operates a similar faith-based donor-engagement model in the Netherlands with sponsorship subscriptions, events, and supporter magazines — directly competing for the same Dutch Christian donor wallet.

Broad incumbents

• Amnesty International Nederland: Larger, secular Dutch human-rights organization covering religious freedom as one of many causes. Competes for the same Dutch donors interested in global human-rights advocacy but at significantly greater scale, broader mandate, and secular positioning — a key adjacent competitor for mindshare.
• International Justice Mission (IJM) Netherlands: Established international Christian human rights organization with a Dutch fundraising office. Tackles broader human-rights abuses (slavery, trafficking) but shares faith-based donor engagement model, monthly sponsorship, and Dutch evangelical supporter base with Open Doors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/opendoorsnl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OpenDoorsNL
• Facebookfacebook.com/opendoorsnl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-doors-nederland
• Instagraminstagram.com/opendoorsnl

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 Open Doors Nederland