Over the past few months, we’ve received various questions about our campaign. On this page, you’ll find the most frequently asked questions and our answers.

If you have a question that’s not listed here or want to know more about one of the questions below, please contact us!

No, Café Saarein is a healthy and successful café. However, the current owner, Dia Roozemond, is retiring, so a commercial takeover of this brown cafe in the Jordaan is looming. We want to prevent this by buying the cafe from her so it can become a foundation belonging to all of us.

Buying a cafe costs a lot of money. We need €200k to repay the shareholders and for the takeover itself. The remaining €50k will be used for some maintenance and much-needed improvements at the bar. Fear not, Saarein will remain Saarein. But it would be nice to start the new phase with some fresh paint here and there, fewer creaky chairs, and a more practically arranged bar. Should we raise more than €250k together, we can start working on our long-term goals much sooner, such as being open more often and for longer hours and organising daytime events.

Not achieving this plan is not an option for us. In that case, we would have to look for alternative, supplementary forms of financing, such as a business loan, but we would prefer not to start the new phase of Saarein at such a disadvantage. We want this plan to succeed, so we hope for the support of the community and all our allies.

This form of enterprise has the advantage of being free from profit motives. When there’s something left at the end of the year, we are free to invest that money in existing organizations and new initiatives that support our mission and work to improve the rights of women and LGBTQIAP+ individuals.

The foundation’s board and the daily management of Café Saarein will operate hand in hand. Although the foundation’s board is responsible for keeping the whole operation healthy, it cannot do so without the daily management having a significant voice in this. Additionally, we want to establish an Advisory Board that can advise both the foundation’s board and the daily management on what they consider important for the development of Saarein. With this triad, we hope to make Stichting Saarein a transparent organisation that is open to a diverse range of perspectives and can thus provide for and grow with what our community needs.

We are preparing the ANBI application and hope to receive a decision before the end of our crowdfunding campaign. If you have questions about this, especially in relation to a larger donation you’re considering, please contact Sebastian.

Absolutely! One of the things we’re going to do is set up an Advisory Board. These are community members who have a vested interest in Saarein’s success and ensuring that its direction aligns with the community’s needs. The Advisory Board, along with the daily management, will have a significant advisory voice in the course of Stichting Saarein. We’d love to hear if you’re interested in standing for election to the Advisory Board.