Twentse Noabers

What Twentse Noabers does

Twentse Noabers is a Dutch non-profit cooperative (Coöperatie Twentse Noabers U.A.) headquartered in Enschede, founded on 1 November 2017 with statutes established on 2 March 2018. It functions as a regional expertise center that finds, connects, and strengthens citizen initiatives (burgerinitiatieven) across the Twente region of the Netherlands, while also brokering relationships between those grassroots groups and larger societal organizations, healthcare institutions, municipalities, and corporate partners. The cooperative operates with eight employees and approximately thirty member citizen initiatives as of 2023, governed democratically through an Algemene Leden Vergadering (General Members Meeting) in which only citizen initiative members hold voting rights; the organization explicitly has no director. Its core products are programs rather than software: the Twentse Noabers Fonds (a co-funding foundation established in April 2019), the Blue Zone Twente community health and longevity initiative, learning networks (lerend netwerk), the dorpsondersteuner (village supporter) program, and the annual Dag van het Twentse Burgerinitiatief event held each 1 November. There is no proprietary technology platform; delivery is mediated through events, workshops, a newsletter, the twentsenoabers.nl website, and direct membership engagement. The business model is a non-profit subscription structure with six tiers: Burgerinitiatieven pay 50 EUR per year, Sociale Partners pay a minimum of 250 EUR, Partners pay a minimum of 1,500 EUR, Kleine Noabers pay a minimum of 250 EUR, Noabers pay 1,000 EUR with a minimum three-year commitment, and Grote Noabers pay 2,500 EUR with a minimum three-year commitment, supplemented by subsidies and project-based contributions. Strategically, the cooperative has embedded itself in the Twente Beter healthcare transformation network alongside Menzis, ZGT, Carintreggeland, and fourteen municipalities, and is a co-author of a national nuldelijnszorg position paper with NLZVE, RegioPlus, and Health~Holland.

Name

Twentse Noabers

Legal name

Coöperatie Twentse Noabers U.A.

Website

https://twentsenoabers.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Twentse Noabers is a Dutch non-profit cooperative founded in 2017 in Enschede that finds, connects, and strengthens approximately thirty citizen initiatives across the Twente region while brokering relationships between those grassroots groups and healthcare, government, and corporate partners through events, learning networks, and a tiered membership structure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Twente, -

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and sponsorship fees: Revenue is generated through annual membership and sponsorship contributions across five tiers: Burgerinitiatieven (citizen initiatives) pay 50 euros per year; Sociale Partners pay a minimum of 250 euros per year; Partners pay a minimum of 1,500 euros per year or project-based; Noabers pay 1,000 euros per year (minimum 3-year commitment); Grote Noabers pay 2,500 euros per year (minimum 3-year commitment). Subsidy providers contribute on a proportional basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Twentse Noabers is a cooperative of approximately 30 citizen initiatives in the Twente region of the Netherlands. It functions as a center of expertise that finds, connects, and strengthens grassroots citizen initiatives through networking, knowledge sharing, event organization, and co-funding facilitation via the Twentse Noabers Fonds. The cooperative also brokers partnerships between citizen initiatives and formal organizations such as municipalities, healthcare insurers, and welfare institutions.

Product overview

Twentse Noabers is a cooperative organization (Coöperatie Twentse Noabers U.A.) that serves as a center of expertise for citizen initiatives in the Twente region of the Netherlands. The organization does not offer a unified technology product or platform; rather, it provides a range of membership-based programs and community services. These include membership categories for citizen initiatives (Burgerinitiatieven), social partners (Sociale Partners), and sponsors (Grote Noabers, Noabers, Kleine Noabers). The cooperative facilitates knowledge sharing, networking, and collaboration among its approximately 30 member citizen initiatives and various stakeholders including care organizations, municipalities, and healthcare insurers. Key programs include the Twentse Noabers Fonds (a fund supporting citizen initiatives), Blue Zone Twente (a community health initiative), learning networks (lerend netwerk), and the annual Dag van het Twentse Burgerinitiatief (Day of the Twente Citizen Initiative) event. The organization acts as a facilitator and convener rather than a technology product provider.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cooperative Membership Program
• Twentse Noabers Fonds

Quantifiable outcome

• As part of Twente Beter, healthcare organizations submitted a transformation plan requesting approximately 14 million euros for elderly care transformation in Twente for 2025-2026.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Twente BetercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Twente Beter is a healthcare network started in 2020 by health insurer Menzis and the two hospitals in Twente. Twentse Noabers (a cooperative of ~30 citizen initiatives) is a fixed dialogue partner in this network. Twentse Noabers' chairman Willem Joosten serves as the 'conscience' of Twente Beter, ensuring the citizen perspective is not lost in healthcare transformation planning.
• De Slinger HengelominorOthers · 1 April 2019De Slinger Hengelo connected Twentse Noabers with notaris Ilone Huiskes of Hofsteenge & Wesseling Notarissen, who agreed to found the Twentse Noabers Fonds foundation free of charge.
• MenziscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMenzis is a Dutch health insurer and initiator of the Twente Beter healthcare transformation network. Through Twente Beter, Menzis collaborates with Twentse Noabers on regional healthcare transformation, elderly care, and prevention programs.
• ZGT (ZiekenhuisGroep Twente)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZGT (ZiekenhuisGroep Twente) is a hospital group in Twente and co-initiator of Twente Beter. ZGT's board member Hilde Dijstelbloem co-chairs Twente Beter and collaborates closely with Twentse Noabers. Willem Joosten of Twentse Noabers is described as the 'conscience' of the Twente Beter transformation.
• CarintreggelandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarintreggeland is a care organization in Twente. Its chairman Heidi de Bruijn co-authored an op-ed with Willem Joosten on the necessity of cross-sector collaboration in healthcare and welfare transformation.
• University of TwentecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Twente partnered with Provincie Overijssel on a citizen science program. Twentse Noabers is involved in connecting research questions to Twente society and participated in an event on 1 November 2024 at UT Design Lab. The UT Design Lab hosted the 2024 Dag van het Twentse Burgerinitiatief.
• Provincie OverijsselcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincie Overijssel partnered with University of Twente on a citizen science program and collaborates with Twentse Noabers on initiatives related to healthcare, welfare, and community development in Twente. The province facilitated the founding of the Twentse Noabers Fonds.
• StimulandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStimuland collaborated with Twentse Noabers on the DRAN festival (2019) and on learning circles (leerkringen), including online masterclasses on crowdfunding. Ed Wezenberg of Stimuland is an advisor to Twentse Noabers.
• De Lijn Design en ReklameminorOthersDe Lijn Design en Reklame developed the Twentsenoabers.nl website. The site was built in collaboration with Twentse Noabers.
• WijzOudminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWijzOud is an independent citizen advisory organization that, with support from Provincie Overijssel, developed a learning circle program and training for dorpsondersteuners (village supporters) as part of the Vitale Beweging project. Collaboration with Twentse Noabers on community health initiatives.
• Nederland Zorgt Voor Elkaar (NLZVE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNLZVE is the national network of citizen initiatives focused on welfare, housing, and care. Twentse Noabers board member Tim Jongman is also active in NLZVE. Twentse Noabers co-authored a position paper on 'nuldelijnszorg' (zero-line care) with NLZVE, RegioPlus, and Health~Holland.
• RegioPlusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegioPlus, together with NLZVE and Health~Holland, published a position paper calling for zero-line care (nuldelijnszorg) to be given a central place in making care and welfare future-proof. Twentse Noabers is affiliated through NLZVE.
• Health~HollandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth~Holland co-authored a position paper with RegioPlus and NLZVE on the importance of citizen initiatives (nuldelijnszorg) in healthcare transformation. Twentse Noabers is affiliated through NLZVE.
• Overijsselse Vereniging van Krachtige Kernen (OVKK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOVKK collaborated with Provincie Overijssel and municipalities on practical support for community meeting centers (dorpshuizen, kulturhusen, MFAs, wijkcentra) during the COVID-19 crisis. Twentse Noabers participated in OVKK's zoom sessions on the financial impact of the crisis on citizen initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Zorgbelang Nederland: Zorgbelang Nederland is an established patient and public-interest organization focused on participation, advocacy and improvement in healthcare. It is comparable through its role in connecting citizen perspectives and experience with formal healthcare institutions.
• Menzis: Menzis is a Dutch health insurer and initiator of the Twente Beter network. It is a broad incumbent comparator because it helps shape and fund the regional healthcare transformation ecosystem in which Twentse Noabers participates.
• ZGT (ZiekenhuisGroep Twente): ZGT is a Twente hospital group and co-initiator of Twente Beter. It is a relevant broad healthcare incumbent and formal delivery stakeholder in the same regional elderly-care transformation ecosystem.

Regional players

• Carintreggeland: Carintreggeland is a regional care organization working with Twentse Noabers on welfare and healthcare transformation. It is comparable through its community-care orientation, while operating as a formal care provider rather than a membership cooperative.
• Overijsselse Vereniging van Krachtige Kernen (OVKK): OVKK is an association of strong local communities in Overijssel that supports citizen-led projects and cooperation with municipalities. It is a close regional comparator for Twentse Noabers' community-capacity-building and local-initiative support work.
• Stimuland: Stimuland is a regional development organization supporting local communities, social initiatives and rural vitality in Overijssel. Its community-development and partnership-facilitation activities are comparable to Twentse Noabers' regional role.

Emerging players

• RegioPlus: RegioPlus is a network of employers and organizations in the care and welfare sector that coordinates knowledge, labor-market and transformation initiatives. It is comparable as a regional stakeholder network, although its constituency is more institutionally focused than Twentse Noabers' citizen-led base.
• WijzOud: WijzOud is an independent citizen-advisory organization involved in community care, older people and practical local support. Its citizen-voice and community-care orientation is relevant to Twentse Noabers' healthcare and welfare activities.

Direct peers

• LSA Bewoners: LSA Bewoners is a national support network for active residents and neighborhood initiatives. It is comparable to Twentse Noabers because both strengthen grassroots participation and connect local initiatives with knowledge, partners and public-sector stakeholders.
• Nederland Zorgt Voor Elkaar: Nederland Zorgt Voor Elkaar is a national network of citizen initiatives focused on welfare, housing and care. Its membership, knowledge-sharing and partnership-brokering model is closely comparable to Twentse Noabers' regional cooperative platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hashtag/burgerinitiatieven
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/twentse-noabers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Twentse Noabers