Here is the report of a transition year. Our pioneering founder Damiaan has said goodbye to the Walk of Wisdom to focus on new projects and activities. Nevertheless, the organization continued to run thanks to our more than 60 well-trained and very committed volunteers. Many thanks to them! 2024 was also the year in which, except for one year, we welcomed the most pilgrims in our almost 10-year existence: a total of 3009 pilgrims. Only in the corona year 2021 were there more.

Click here for the digital first chapter of our new Book of Hours

Read the full Annual Report 2024 here

In 2023, 2,669 people signed up for a starter package as pilgrims of the Walk of Wisdom. About 200 pilgrims less than last year, but still quite a few. Just like other years, they come from all over the country as well as Flanders. We received beautiful reports again, which contribute so steadily to our starting pilgrimage tradition around Nijmegen. The pilgrims are often full of gratitude for the work of all our volunteers. One of the pilgrims even put our symbol on his leg as a tattoo after his journey. We were silent for a moment…

Many donations came in for our e-book of our new Book of Hours. It concerns the first chapter. The sequel and the paper book of hours are still a while away. Many thanks to all our volunteers and donors for making our foundation possible!

Click here for the digital first chapter of our new Book of Hours

Read the full Annual Report 2023
here Read the profit and loss 2023
here Read the balance sheet 2023 here

In 2022, 2,834 pilgrims registered for a Walk of Wisdom. Slightly less than in the Corona peak year when the borders were closed. Pilgrims almost all respond positively. To deepen our fledgling pilgrimage tradition, we published the first chapter of our new Book of Hours On the Way to Wisdom in September.Unfortunately, we didn’t get around to internationalisation. We postponed this until after the completion of the book. With 60 volunteers and part-time coordination, we have our hands full and pilgrims don’t rush!

Click here for the digital first chapter of our new Book of Hours

Read the full Annual Report 2022
here Read the profit and loss 2022
here Read the balance sheet 2022 here (re-uploaded on 24-10-23 after discovery of error)

We have had two corona years. While many sectors were struggling as a result, the number of pilgrims on the Walk of Wisdom seemed to be growing. More people discovered hiking and were forced to go on holiday in their own country. There was also more time for reflection. We saw an increase in the number of pilgrims by more than half to 3,225 registrations for the whole of 2021. In August, the 10,000th pilgrim officially signed up. It is nice to see that we can meet a growing need.

PS: Do you want to read on? Download the full report via the link below.

Annual Report Walk of Wisdom.

The year 2020 was an eventful year for the Walk of Walk of Wisdom. That was the case in many ways. Of course, the coronavirus and its consequences have also permeated the Walk of Wisdom . We have had to cancel many departure ceremonies or design them in a different way. We have not been able to organize meeting days or set up litter campaigns on a large scale. Nevertheless, this year we have received more pilgrims than ever on the route. As a result, we received more than €60,000 in donations for the starter packs and friend contributions.

Thanks to this special year, we have therefore ended with a significant plus and can finally take the much-desired next step: expanding abroad, see Policy Plan Walk of Wisdom 2021 to 2024

Read the full Annual Report Walk of Wisdom 2020 and preview 2021

In 2019, more than €51,000 came in in donations for starter packs, friend contributions and sponsorship for the route guide. In 2019, we were also independent of government subsidies. Income was lower than in 2018, partly due to the lack of the one-off windfall of the Gelderland Landscape Prize.

On the expenditure side (almost €48,000), the largest items were the purchase costs for the starter kits and the writing of the pioneer. Due to a slightly better financial reserve, we were able to make larger bulk purchases, so that the purchase costs were lower than in 2018 for despite the small increase in the number of registered pilgrims. Through the starter packs, our mostly free activities and the writing of our pioneer, we propagate our ideas.

Also in 2019, thanks to the contribution of pilgrims, we gave something beautiful back to the landscape on the route: more than €1,500 to various nature reserves and the start and end point of the Stevenskerk.

Read the full annual report: link

In 2018, more than €60,000 came in through donations for the starter packages, friend contributions, sponsoring and in-depth days. This included the €10,000 for winning the audience award in the Gelderland Landscape Election.

On the expenditure side, the largest expenditure is on the starter packages with which we propagate our ideas. The pioneer was compensated for writing blogs and interviews.

This year, our contribution to the landscape on the route was almost €1,500,-.

Most of the work remains voluntary work and the foundation was independent of government subsidies.

Link annual report.

Also in 2017, the foundation ran independently of funds and subsidies. Almost €34,000 came in through donations for starter packs, more than €4,000 through friends and silent walks and almost €1,600 through sponsorship of the route guide.

Thanks to this money, the starter packages and the organization costs could be paid. The latter included a modest fee for the pioneer’s writing, rent of office space and investment in the further development of the route. It was the first year that we contributed directly to the landscape of the route through our landscape contribution (almost €1,200).

Link annual report.

Almost € 20,000 came in through donations for starter packs and more than €3,000 in friend contributions and sponsorship of the route guide. Thanks to this income, we were able to purchase the materials for the starter kits, maintain the route and finance the organization costs. The work revolved almost entirely on the efforts of volunteers. The foundation was independent of funds or subsidies.

Apart from our own budget, we raised €7,000 through various sponsor runs for the landscape along the route.

Link annual report.

Almost €12,000 came in through donations for starter kits and more than €10,000 through the crowdfunding campaign ‘100 meters of wisdom’, a contribution from the Triodos Foundation, MHB bv (steel construction) and the Nijmegen House of the City Centre. Thanks to the money, we were able to finance, among other things, the development and materials of our starter packages through which we propagate our ideas. This was also used to pay for the growing costs of organising the route and the large-scale, inspiring opening of the route in the Stevenskerk.

Link annual report.

The foundation organized a fun auction that raised €1,138. This allowed us to pay for the investments and start-up costs towards the opening of the pioneer route in 2015.

Link annual report.

Before its creation, the foundation was sponsored by 19 people with a contribution of € 10 to € 100. Among other things, the notary fees for the establishment of the foundation were paid from this.