‘Serious Request has the function that the church used to have: you learn that it is good to do something for someone else’

Laughing, Roan (15), black hat with blue jacket, turns around in his electric wheelchair on the Market in Den Bosch. At home in front of the TV, in Herten, Limburg, he had followed Serious Request. He saw the Glass House in which three disc jockeys play music and receive checks from private fundraisers. Now Roan is really there. What is that like? “Quite nice.” Did he make a request himself? “Yes.” After some insistence: “Turbo by Paul Elstak and New Kids.” Father Daniël Lichtleitner (45) smiles: “He remains an adolescent.”

Roan has muscle disease HMSN type 1. Five years ago, Roan was still playing football. Now he cannot go to the toilet without help. “My wife has been working night shifts for fifteen years, so she is home for Roan during the day,” says Lichtleitner, an accountant herself. “It is normal for us to take continuous care. All the Serious Request attention for muscle diseases made me realize: muscle diseases are not normal at all.”

Serious Request, the charity campaign of radio station 3FM, is heading for a considerably higher proceeds than all 22 previous editions. Last year, 12.6 million euros were raised for children with metabolic diseases. So far, the 2012 proceeds, 13.8 million euros to combat infant mortality worldwide, have been considered a record. This year, 3FM is collecting for help to children with muscular diseases. An ‘interim balance’ of 10.1 million euros was already announced on Monday. That includes some large donations. The promotion runs until Christmas Eve. What explains the success?

Stories of suffering and resilience

“In the past, we raised money for foreign charities with the Red Cross. These stories are more difficult to tell because they take place further away,” says Menno de Boer, station manager of NPO 3FM. For the fourth time, the channel chose a Dutch target. “Society has changed. To reach our target group, it is extremely important to be able to tell stories of suffering and resilience for a goal.”

De Boer sits in the town hall, on the edge of the market square, in a room equipped with TV screens. It shows hundreds of carnival participants, each wearing a red-yellow Oeteldonk scarf. “Look, the atmosphere is oozing,” says De Boer. If the ratio between seriousness and carnival is right, the action comes alive and, according to him, you get “a snowball effect”.

Local, concrete charities in which volunteers are involved can count on a lot of sympathy

“You can hardly describe it, it is something that hangs in the air,” says Monique Maks, director of the Muscles for Muscles foundation. The final amount is not yet known, but she “already has goosebumps”. “Serious Request is the Olympic Games for charities,” she says. “There is no bigger stage than this to show why you are on earth.”

Twenty thousand children in the Netherlands have a muscle disease. The proceeds go to research into new treatments and medicines. Part of the money also flows to sports and exercise programs for children with a muscular disease and to speeding up diagnoses. “For many people, good health is self-evident. It should be, but that does not apply to these children,” says Maks.

Domestic charities

Professor of philanthropy at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam René Bekkers is not surprised by the probably record-high proceeds, he says by telephone. He is betting on 25 million euros, looking at the trend of the past three editions. “Serious Request has the social function that the church used to have: you learn that it is good to do something for someone else. As a donor, you also get a pleasant afternoon or your name on TV in return.” According to Bekkers, yields fell for several years cannot be seen separately of 3FM’s declining market share. He understands the switch to domestic charities to turn the tide. “Local, concrete charities in which volunteers are involved can count on a lot of sympathy. Since corona, this especially applies to goals that have to do with health.”

In Den Bosch, LED screens indicate the standings. 3FM announces this amount every day with some fanfare. “It appears that showing that others have already donated a high amount has a positive effect research to crowdfunding campaigns,” says Bekkers. “People would rather participate in something that is already successful than have the idea of ​​being the only one to donate to something.”

Zoom in

There is a lot of coming and going on the Market Square. A woman walks around with a stroller full of home-knit hats, which she sells for charity. A young couple is on a date, rose in hand. There are many families. Orthopedagogue Eefje de Rooij (44) from Breda, wearing a green beret, stands at the front of the Glass House with her children. “It’s fun, but I also want to show them how important it is to look out for each other.” Son Loek (11) has been wearing short beige trousers since the summer. On it Youth news he saw other children doing that and getting sponsored. “I do it for Kika [organisatie die zich inzet voor kinderen met kanker]I don’t want them to be alone.”

Further on is a group of students from Den Bosch wearing a red-yellow Oeteldonk scarf, a jacket full of colorful carnival emblems and a beer in their hand. The success of Serious Request? “Everyone is positive here, we form a warm community,” says management student Dylan Nijholt (21). “I was here last night too. When I was peeing I heard people from all over the Netherlands. Normally it is quite something if you meet someone from Oss in Den Bosch.”

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