Formation | 1989 |
---|---|
Founders |
|
Type | Social enterprise |
Purpose | Human rights, nature, biodiversity and environmental protection, development cooperation, equal opportunities, social cohesion, and well-being |
Headquarters | Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Sigrid van Aken (CEO) |
Website | www |
Formerly called | Novamedia |
The Postcode Lottery Group is a Dutch international social enterprise, 100% owned by a non-profit foundation. The group establishes and manages charitable lotteries worldwide to raise funds for social organisations working in areas such as culture, nature, environmental and animal protection, health, human rights, and development aid. The Postcode Lottery Group is reported as the world's third-largest private charity donor, after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. [1]
In 1983 Boudewijn Poelmann and his wife Annemiek Hoogenboom founded Novamedia – later[ when? ] known as Postcode Lottery Group – a Dutch marketing and media company established with the mission of supporting social organisations. [2]
In 1989 Boudewijn Poelmann partnered with Frank Leeman, Herman de Jong, and Simon Jelsma to launch the Dutch Postcode Lottery (Nationale Postcode Loterij) [3] whose mission is to raise funds through the creation and management of lotteries seen as a tool for generating revenue while also engaging the public in charitable giving.
The lottery is based on the concept of using postal codes to determine winning tickets and raise money for charity, through a subscription-based lottery. [4] Since a percentage of the ticket price goes to charities, every player contributes to support social organisations. [5]
The lottery gained popularity in the Netherlands, and Novamedia founded Postcode Lotteries in other European countries, also aimed at raising funds for social organisations. Today, the Postcode Lottery Group operates six lotteries in five countries. [6] In 2023, the Group raised 904 million euros for charity. [7]
The Postcode Lottery Group launched its first lottery, the Dutch Postcode Lottery (Nationale Postcode Loterij), in 1989. This lottery uses postal codes (zip codes) as ticket numbers and has become one of the largest lotteries in the Netherlands.
For every lottery ticket sold, a part goes to various charitable causes, including environmental conservation, human rights and social welfare; [8] another part goes to the prize pot, a key part of playing a lottery; and the last part goes toward the costs involved in organising the lottery itself. [9]
Following the Dutch subscription-based model, the Postcode Lottery Group set up the People's Postcode Lottery in Great Britain in 2005, [10] followed in that same year with by the Swedish Postcode Lottery (Svenska Postkodlotteriet). [11]
In 2016, the Deutsche Postcode Lotterie was launched in Germany, to raise funds for German charitable organisations. Two years later, in 2018, the Norwegian Postcode Lottery (Norsk Postkodelotteri) was founded.
These lotteries are collectively known as the Postcode Lottery Group. In 2024, the group announced the establishment of the Canadian Postcode Lottery Foundation in Canada. [12]
The Postcode Lottery Group's operating model is as follows: [13]
The boards of Postcode Lottery Group are responsible for overseeing the company's strategic direction and financial management. [15] The boards are:
Since its inception, the Postcode Lottery Group has raised more than €13.5 billion in support for thousands of charitable initiatives, locally and internationally. According to the Associated Press, in 2023, the group stood among the largest private donors to Ukraine-related matters, contributing 155.2 million euros (165.9 million USD) to humanitarian and human rights organisations also operating in Ukraine or assisting refugees. The Dutch branch donated 100.6 million euros (113.3 million dollars) to organisations involved. [16]
In 2009 the charity lotteries operated by Novamedia produced a turnover of more than €728 million, of which more than €364 million euros was divided among the charities. Since its inception, Novamedia has collected over €4 billion for more than 240 charities for people, nature, culture, health, and welfare. [17]
In 2023 the group raised €904 million (US$1 billion) for charities. [18]
In 2001 Nelson Mandela became the first international ambassador of the Postcode Lottery Group. Since then, various personalities around the world have been associated with the group, among whom are: [19]
In 2022 the postcode lottery was recognised as the "Top Global Funder You (Probably) Haven't Heard Of" by Inside Philanthropy's Philanthropy Awards (IPPAs). [20]
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material gain; and with government endeavors that are public initiatives for public good, such as those that focus on the provision of public services. A person who practices philanthropy is a philanthropist.
A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments. The most common regulations are prohibition of sale to minors and licensing of ticket vendors. Although lotteries were common in the United States and some other countries during the 19th century, by the beginning of the 20th century, most forms of gambling, including lotteries and sweepstakes, were illegal in the U.S. and most of Europe as well as many other countries. This remained so until well after World War II. In the 1960s, casinos and lotteries began to re-appear throughout the world as a means for governments to raise revenue without raising taxes.
Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gather money for non-profit organizations, it is sometimes used to refer to the identification and solicitation of investors or other sources of capital for for-profit enterprises.
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being.
The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund, is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for "good causes".
Charity gambling is a "form of incentivized giving" where a charity, rather than a municipality or private casino, oversees gambling activities such as bingo, roulette, lottery, and slot machines and uses the proceeds to further its charitable aims.
The King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) is a foundation based in Brussels (Belgium). It seeks to change society for the better and invests in inspiring projects and individuals.
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is a registered UK charity that operates in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada. It works with companies, private philanthropists, regular donors, fellow foundations, governments, charities and not-for-profit enterprises to enable them to give more. Its stated purpose is to “accelerate progress in society towards a fair and sustainable future for all.”
Shell Foundation is a philanthropic foundation that is working towards alleviating poverty for millions of people in Africa and Asia. It supports clean energy solutions that raise incomes while cutting emissions. As an independent and registered charity in England and Wales, the Shell Foundation is an initiative of the oil major Shell plc, envisioned in 1997, as a worldwide, social investment initiative to concentrate on working with external partners to promote sustainable development.
Lotterywest was established in 1932 as the Lotteries Commission of Western Australia, to run the lottery in Western Australia. It is referred to in the legislation as the Lotteries Commission. It distributes profits to a number of community beneficiaries, via both government departments and directly to not-for-profit organisations. It is a major supporter of the Perth Festival, with the film festival component of it known as Lotterywest Films.
Boudewijn Poelmann is a Dutch entrepreneur and co-founder of the Netherlands's Nationale Postcode Lottery. In 1983, he helped to start the media company, Novamedia.
National Philanthropic Trust (NPT) is an American independent public charity that provides philanthropic expertise to donors, foundations and financial institutions. NPT ranks among the largest grantmaking institutions in the United States.
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves selling numbered tickets and giving prizes to the holders of numbers drawn at random. Lotteries are outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing their own national (state) lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation by governments, like allowing or prohibiting online sales of tickets.
UK Community Foundations (UKCF) is a registered charity that leads a movement of community foundations committed to positive social change in the UK through the development of “community philanthropy”. Community philanthropy involves people from all parts of a community working together locally to use the financial and other resources available to them to improve others’ lives.
The Nationale Postcode Loterij is the biggest charity lottery in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1989 by Novamedia, a marketing agency that sets up and runs charity lotteries. As required by the Dutch government, forty percent of the proceeds of this lottery are donated amongst 81 charities, which, in 2010 amounted to over 270 million euros.
Better Society Capital Limited (BSC), formerly Big Society Capital, is a social impact investor in the United Kingdom, with a mission to grow the amount of money invested in tackling social issues and inequalities in the UK. It invests its own capital into a range of social purpose organisations, as well as enabling others to invest. Much of BSC's money comes from the Reclaim Fund, which was created in 2012 to make use of dormant bank accounts.
The DOEN Foundation is a Dutch foundation supporting initiatives in the field of culture and cohesion and in the field of green and inclusive economy. The focus of the foundation is on sustainable, cultural and social innovation. DOEN receives the net proceeds of the Dutch Postcode Lottery, BankGiro Lottery and FriendsLottery.
MY Ocean Warrior is a cutter-class vessel owned and operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as research/survey patrol vessel. She is used in their direct action campaigns against whaling and illegal fisheries activities.
Sigrid van Aken is the chief executive officer of Postcode Lottery Group, recognized as the world's 3rd largest private charity donor, after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation & the Wellcome Trust.