What keeps Schrijfmaatje going
Schrijfmaatje travels on stamps
Someone opens the letterbox and finds a card out of the blue. It came by real post, and the post runs on stamps. Those stamps reach us from people who have a few spare and pop them in an envelope our way. No money, then, just stamps, and that's what Schrijfmaatje lives on.
Why stamps, of all things?
A stamp is exactly what a card needs to travel. That's why we ask for those, and not for money. Almost everything that comes in goes straight back out as post: a card on its way to someone who'll be glad of it.
It also keeps Schrijfmaatje small and easy to keep track of. No accounts to settle, no pot of money to look after, no paperwork building up. A stamp is a thing that travels, not a sum that sits somewhere. Your stamps today are someone's card next week.
And if not much comes in for a while? Then we quietly make up the difference, so no card is left waiting. Your stamps make that lighter for us: every stamp that arrives is one we don't have to buy, and so the post just keeps moving.
How to send stamps
Got stamps lying around that you won't use after all, loose or still on a sheet or a roll? Put a few in an envelope and send them our way. It really doesn't have to be more than that, and there's no need to add a note.
Schrijfmaatje, Vuurdoornstraat 9B, 8924 AT Leeuwarden
Dutch stamps work best, and unused for preference. With an amount on them or with a "1" or a "2", all fine. A stamp you've carefully peeled off an old envelope is welcome too, as long as it hasn't been postmarked yet. One sheet is plenty to begin with.
Got a few nice blank cards spare instead? We're just as glad of those. We copy out other people's greetings onto them by hand, and so a set that's been sitting in your cupboard gets a second life with someone who's glad of post.
What you'll want to know
What kind of stamps can I send?
Ordinary Dutch stamps, unused for preference and not yet postmarked. With an amount on them or with a "1" or a "2", either is fine. Not sure whether a stamp still works? Send it along anyway, and we'll sort it out.
How much should I send?
As much as you like. One sheet already helps, and there's no maximum. A whole stack in one go, or a few now and then, both are just as welcome. Every stamp becomes a card sooner or later.
Do I get anything in return?
No, it's a gift and not a swap. You don't have to add your name, and nothing comes back to you. The only thing that comes of it is a card for someone else, somewhere in the country. And that's exactly what we're after.
Do I have to chip in to take part?
No. Writing a card and receiving post cost you nothing. Sending stamps is quite separate from that: it's for anyone who'd like to lend a hand. It isn't part of taking part, it's what makes taking part possible.
From your drawer to someone's doormat
A few stamps you no longer use turn into cards that go out from here. That's how we keep the post moving, card by card. Whether you write one yourself or sign someone up, you're more than welcome.