WO=MEN

What WO=MEN does

WO=MEN, Dutch Gender Platform (Vereniging WO=MEN) is a Dutch non-profit association founded in 2006 by Oxfam Novib, Hivos, Cordaid, and ICCO to address the lack of gender focus in development cooperation budgets and the absence of coordination among gender-focused civil society organizations. The platform connects approximately 56 member organizations and 150 individual professionals spanning development and peace NGOs, women's rights organizations, diaspora groups, trade unions, police, journalists, academics, military personnel, entrepreneurs, and students, and is self-described as the largest gender platform of its kind in the Netherlands and Europe. Core activities are organized around three thematic working groups (Gender and Sustainable Economy; Political Lobby; Gender, Peace and Security) and flagship programs including NAP 1325, Politica, Beijing+30, and the Count Me In! Consortium, supported by a public Kennisbank (knowledge base) and SDG5 awareness tools (Gender Facts Game, Checklist Gendergelijkheid).

The organization pursues policy influence at the Dutch, EU, and UN levels, with formal ECOSOC consultative status (since 2021) enabling participation in UN processes including the Commission on the Status of Women. The underlying technology stack is modest and conventional for a Dutch civil society platform: a HubSpot integration for membership forms, Mollie for donation payment processing, Google Analytics 4 with anonymized IPs, CookieYes for consent management, and active social media accounts on Bluesky, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. WO=MEN holds ANBI public benefit status (since 2009) and operates under a directeur-bestuurder governance model with a Raad van Toezicht (Supervisory Board).

Revenue is generated through three streams: individual and organizational membership subscriptions priced at €35–€80/year, voluntary donations via Triodos bank transfer and Mollie payment links, and project funding from Dutch ministries and international institutions. The 9-person staff is led by Executive Director Anne-Floor Dekker (promoted in 2024 from a long-tenured programme role), and the organization is headquartered at Korte Poten 9B, The Hague, Netherlands. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

WO=MEN

Legal name

Vereniging WO=MEN, Dutch Gender Platform

Website

https://wo-men.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WO=MEN, Dutch Gender Platform is a Dutch non-profit association coordinating the largest gender equality network in the Netherlands and Europe, connecting approximately 56 member organizations and 150 professionals through thematic working groups, flagship programs, and policy advocacy directed at Dutch ministries and EU/UN institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Organizations and individuals pay annual membership fees to join WO=MEN. Individual membership starts at €35/year for students and €50/year for regular members. Organizational membership starts from €80/year depending on organization income.
2. Donations: WO=MEN accepts one-off and recurring donations from individuals and organizations who want to support gender equality work. Donations can be made via bank transfer to Triodos account NL34TRIO0781399319.
3. Government and institutional funding: As a civil society platform, WO=MEN receives funding from government programs and international institutions to support its advocacy, programs, and operational activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WO=MEN is a Dutch non-profit membership platform that coordinates a network of approximately 56 organizations and 150 individual professionals advocating for gender equality, women's rights, and inclusive policies. It delivers its offering through thematic working groups (Gender and Sustainable Economy, Political Lobby, Gender Peace and Security), advocacy programs (NAP 1325, Beijing+30, Politica, Count Me In! Consortium), a public Kennisbank knowledge database, SDG5 tools, events, and direct policy lobbying with Dutch ministries and at UN processes.

Product overview

WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform is a coalition/network organization (not a traditional tech product company) that serves as the largest gender platform in the Netherlands and Europe. The platform connects approximately 56 organizations and 150 professionals through a membership structure, offering knowledge resources (Kennisbank), advocacy tools (SDG5 Gender Facts Game, SDG5 Checklist Gendergelijkheid), thematic programs (Politica, NAP 1325, Beijing+30, Count Me In! Consortium), working groups, events, and policy lobbying services. The core offering is the network itself combined with advocacy resources, not a software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kennisbank (Knowledge Bank) Online knowledge database containing information about global gender equality, women's rights, and the themes WO=MEN advocates for, including resources dating from 1994 to the present. Aimed at members, journalists, researchers, and policymakers.
• SDG5 Tool: Gender Facts Game Interactive tool designed to inform event visitors about gender facts related to SDG 5 (Gender Equality). Used at WO=MEN events and by member organizations for advocacy and awareness raising.
• SDG5 Tool: Checklist Gendergelijkheid A checklist tool for organizations to assess and improve their gender equality practices. Targeted at civil society organizations and member institutions.
• Politica Program An alliance with Stem op een Vrouw, Nederlandse Vrouwen Raad and Emancipator focused on increasing women (in their diversity) in politics. Targeted at political parties, candidates, and policymakers.
• National Action Plan 1325 (NAP 1325) Coordination programme implementing the UN Women, Peace and Security agenda in the Netherlands through collaboration between more than sixty civil society partners and four Dutch ministries. Aimed at government, civil society, and peace organizations.
• Beijing+30 Program Campaign programme for the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, focused on reflection, engagement and action for gender justice. Aimed at civil society, policymakers, and women's rights advocates.
• Count Me In! Consortium

Quantifiable outcome

• Facilitates advocacy that contributed to CEDAW implementation monitoring
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Jonge KlimaatbewegingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Member partner collaborating with WO=MEN on climate negotiations SB64 in Bonn.
• Mercy CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Member partner collaborating on climate and gender work, present at SB64 Bonn climate negotiations.
• Mondiaal FNVcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Member organization partner in climate and gender work, participated in Bonn climate negotiations.
• Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Member partner active in climate and gender equality work, participated in SB64 climate negotiations.
• WarChildcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Organized meeting bringing Palestinian women human rights defenders to engage with Dutch policymakers. WarChild requested WO=MEN to facilitate this dialogue.
• ActionAidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Member organization that co-organized the Palestinian women defenders event with WO=MEN.
• CordaidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2023Member organization that co-organized the Feminist Foreign Policy Community Festival with WO=MEN.
• HivoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2023Member organization and co-host of Feminist Foreign Policy Community Festival, partner in various advocacy initiatives.
• CARE NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization and key partner in gender and climate work. Collaborated on climate negotiations (SB64 Bonn) and Beijing+30 events.
• Oxfam NovibcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of WO=MEN. Continues as key member organization in the platform.
• Ukraine Women FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership supporting regional and international advocacy of Ukrainian women's rights organizations and their partners.
• PartoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWO=MEN is a member of Partos, the Dutch development sector association, and adheres to the Partos Code of Conduct.
• Count Me In! ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWO=MEN is part of this consortium focused on feminist funding and advocacy work.
• Dutch Ministries (Foreign Affairs, Defense, Justice)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWO=MEN collaborates with four Dutch ministries on NAP 1325 implementation, coordinating between 60+ civil society partners and government.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF): Dutch-headquartered international network on gender, climate, and sustainable development; member organization of WO=MEN and partner on SB64 Bonn climate negotiations. Directly comparable in operating model, geography, and gender/climate thematic overlap.
• Rutgers: Dutch center of expertise on sexual and reproductive health and rights, integrated in WO=MEN's network of Dutch gender/development NGOs. Comparable as a Dutch-anchored, internationally active gender-and-rights NGO with similar funding model and policy engagement.
• Partos: Dutch association for the international development sector; WO=MEN is a member and adheres to its Code of Conduct. Closely comparable as a Dutch membership-based coalition providing sector coordination, advocacy, and standards for member NGOs.
• Plan International Netherlands: Dutch office of Plan International, a global children's and girls' rights NGO; member of WO=MEN's network. Comparable as an internationally active women's/girls' rights NGO with Dutch-based operations and policy engagement.
• European Women's Lobby: Pan-European membership-based advocacy coalition coordinating women's rights NGOs across EU member states. Directly comparable to WO=MEN in model: member-network governance, policy advocacy at EU level, and convening of civil society for gender equality.
• AWID (Association for Women's Rights in Development): International membership-based association serving feminist movements and women's rights organizations, with similar member-driven advocacy, knowledge resources, and global convening functions. WO=MEN participates in networks where AWID operates as a global counterpart.

Broad incumbents

• Cordaid: Large Dutch development and humanitarian organization; founding member of WO=MEN in 2006 and co-organizer of the Feminist Foreign Policy Community Festival. Comparable as a Dutch-based, internationally active development NGO, though broader in mandate beyond gender.
• Hivos: Large Dutch international development organization and founding member of WO=MEN; co-host of Feminist Foreign Policy Community Festival. Comparable as a Dutch-anchored NGO with gender, climate, and rights programming, though larger and broader in scope.
• UN Women: United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and women's empowerment with ECOSOC framework authority. Operates in the same thematic space as WO=MEN at much larger scale, setting international norms (Beijing Platform, WPS agenda) that WO=MEN helps implement locally.

Regional players

• COC Netherlands: Dutch membership-based advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ rights, also anchored in The Hague. Comparable as a Dutch platform-style advocacy coalition, though focused on a different rights domain with overlapping convening and policy-influencing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/genderplatform
• Facebookfacebook.com/genderplatform
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wo-men
• Instagraminstagram.com/genderplatform

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 WO=MEN