Residents
- Taking part (again) and belonging somewhere
- Feeling less alone with things, and so less loneliness and stress
- Relief as a carer, because a neighbour can pick up a request
- Quickly ask for or offer help, and know what's going on
For initiators
Start Buurtmaat in your village, neighbourhood or municipality
For municipalities, welfare organisations, housing associations, village councils, neighbourhood councils and residents' associations. Read what Buurtmaat delivers and how we start together, choose a package and request a demo.
What it delivers
What Buurtmaat delivers for municipalities, welfare organisations and housing associations
The number of older people is growing, demand for care is rising and there are too few people working in care and welfare. Carers are becoming overburdened and loneliness is increasing. A vital neighbourhood, where neighbours know and help each other, absorbs part of this itself and is therefore ready for the future.
What it delivers for the neighbourhood
Less loneliness, stronger support networks
Neighbours get to know each other through a help request, an activity or the market. People who are on their own more easily find someone in their street who helps or drops by.
Living independently at home for longer
A neighbour who picks up some shopping, gives a lift to the GP or does a small job helps older people stay in their own home for longer. Neighbourhood buddies post a help request for people without a smartphone.
Relief for carers and professionals
Small requests go to neighbours instead of to the carer, district nursing or welfare work. They keep more time for the care that only they can give.
Civic participation
Residents think along through polls, respond to plans and organise activities themselves. Clubs and schools announce what they organise for the whole village or neighbourhood.
An inclusive society
Buurtmaat works in ten languages and in line with WCAG 2.1 AA, with large text and clear buttons. That way newcomers, older people and those who are less confident online take part too.
A sustainable society
Neighbours lend each other tools from the sharing cupboard and give things away on the market. That means buying less and throwing away less.
What your organisation gets
Reach among all residents
Every residential address gets a letter with a code. That way you also reach residents you miss through social media or the newsletter, and you can see how many addresses are taking part.
Everyone joins in, in ten languages
Buurtmaat speaks ten languages, in every package. That way you also reach newcomers, refugees with a residence permit, expats and neighbours who find it hard to read Dutch. They use the app in their own language. With the translation package, an extra option per village or neighbourhood, they also read posts from neighbours and official messages in theirs. So everyone belongs.
Your own channel for official messages
Messages from the municipality or the village council are at the top, with the Official badge. An urgent message also goes to all members by email. In Buurtmaat Plus and Buurtmaat Compleet.
Integrations with your systems
Messages from your own website, app or newsletter appear in Buurtmaat automatically, via an RSS feed or our API. In Buurtmaat Compleet.
Management without IT hassle
Buurtmaat works in the browser, without an app store or installation. AnchorWorks sets it up and takes care of hosting, updates, backups, security and further development. You deliver the letters and choose volunteers from the neighbourhood.
Privacy in line with the GDPR
Only residents can get in, without adverts or tracking. The reporting only shows rounded numbers, never names or addresses.
Insight with reporting
With Buurtmaat Compleet you see per community and area how many addresses are taking part, how quickly a help request gets a first response and how often neighbours meet and share things. Findings show where attention is needed, as a signal for policy. As a dashboard, as a PDF and every month or quarter by email. Only rounded numbers, never names or addresses.
Who it's for
For everyone in the village or neighbourhood
Village council, neighbourhood council and volunteers
- A lively neighbourhood where residents know each other
- More residents who think along and join in
- New volunteers, because residents see where they can help
- A voice that reaches every household, not only those who read the newsletter
Municipality, welfare and housing association
- Less loneliness and stronger support networks
- Older people who live independently at home for longer
- Relief for carers and for professionals in care and welfare
- An inclusive, vital neighbourhood that is ready for the future
Starting together
How we start together
Getting to know each other
A conversation and a demo in a demo village, tailored to your situation.
We set it up
AnchorWorks prepares your villages and neighbourhoods, with all residential addresses.
The letters go out
We make a letter with a personal code for every address, as a PDF. You make sure they reach the residents.
Off we go
Residents join in. You choose volunteers from the neighbourhood, and we take care of hosting, updates and support.
Examples
Buurtmaat in practice
Real screens from Buurtmaat, with the made-up Municipality of Heideland and its communities Heidebeek and Kloosterveen.
Official messages and warnings
In Buurtmaat Plus and Buurtmaat Compleet an editor from the municipality or the village council posts a message as official. With Urgent it also goes to all members by email. One message can go to several communities at once.
- Official badge, and pinning to the top
- Urgent: also by email to all members
- You see in advance how many members will see the message
Reporting in Buurtmaat Compleet
The dashboard shows per community, area and period how many residents are taking part, how quickly a help request gets a response and how often neighbours meet each other. With findings in plain language and a comparison between the communities.
- Numbers only, rounded to multiples of five
- Groups of fewer than ten people stay hidden
- Choose a community, an area and a period
The report as a PDF, also by email
Download the report as a PDF, for example for the municipal council or the annual report. Or have it sent automatically every month or quarter, to at most ten email addresses, including people without an account.
- Key figures, findings and charts
- Automatically every month or quarter
- Every recipient can unsubscribe
Packages
A price that suits the size of your village, neighbourhood or municipality
Buurtmaat Basis is for one village or neighbourhood. Buurtmaat Plus is for several villages or neighbourhoods, with official messages. Buurtmaat Compleet also has integrations, insights and reporting.
Contact
Request a demo
Do you work for a municipality, welfare organisation, housing association, village council, neighbourhood council or residents' association? Leave your details. We'll show you Buurtmaat and answer your questions.
Frequently asked questions
Questions from organisations
First use the postcode check to see whether Buurtmaat is already active in your village or neighbourhood. If it isn't, get in touch via info@buurtmaat.nl or WhatsApp. Then we'll discuss the options together.
Yes. The administrator creates a profile for a club, school or foundation, for one or more villages or neighbourhoods. On behalf of that profile they post messages and activities for the whole village or neighbourhood, such as a parade, an open day or a Christmas market. They can also put out a call for help, for example for parent helpers or volunteers. Residents see their profile with what's coming up. Advertising and matters that are only for members don't belong there; a moderator can review posts in advance. Clubs and schools are part of all three packages.
That happens in three layers. An automatic check looks at posts, help requests, listings, activities, items in the sharing cupboard and comments before others see them. If it finds something, such as a threat, a scam, abuse or someone else's address, or if it is unsure, the item stays hidden until a moderator has looked at it. On top of that, residents report anything that isn't right, including comments and private messages. Moderators from the village or neighbourhood itself look at the reports and deal with them. AnchorWorks sees the serious cases in all villages and neighbourhoods, and anything that has been waiting too long for a moderator, and can step in itself: keep something hidden or block an account.
Yes, in Buurtmaat Compleet. Messages from your own app, website or newsletter then appear in Buurtmaat automatically, via an RSS feed or our API (also with Power Automate, Zapier or Make). You choose whether they appear straight away or are approved by an editor first. That way you only keep one place up to date.
Yes. Buurtmaat works per community: a village or a neighbourhood, with its own residents, its own help requests and its own sharing cupboard. A municipality can have villages and neighbourhoods side by side, such as a village on the edge and a few town neighbourhoods. For a neighbourhood, the app says “neighbourhood” and “fellow residents” instead of “village” and “fellow villagers”.