My Mate Your Date is a new social media fundraising campaign to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Rather than paying a subscription fee, users of the dating service donate money to the charity for the matches they receive.
My Mate Your Date works by users logging in via Facebook, and inviting their friends to make date suggestions for them over a 30 day period.
The service sends private messages to these friends, who send over potential matches which the user can review.
And for each suggestion sent by a friend “all we ask is that you make a donation to Macmillan Cancer Support.”
Users can set a maximum amount they want to donate before beginning the process.
Dating expert Elizabeth Sullivan told the Bristol Post: “Whilst online dating is a great way to meet fellow singles, people often feel nervous about meeting a stranger.
“And with our ever increasing schedules, people are often too busy to play cupid or too embarrassed to ask friends to set them up.
“That’s why My Mate Your Date is a brilliant concept: it uses a very modern social media tool, but goes back to the traditional method of introducing friends…with an added feel good factor of giving to charity at the same time!”
The only information the site asks for is your dating preferences: men, women or both, and then the rest is up to your Facebook friends and My Mate Your Date’s recommendation system, which they call Cilla.
According to a survey conducted by Macmillan, 40% of singles trust a Facebook profile more than an online dating profile, 14%, and most prefer to meet someone through a friend.
British model Amy Willerton, from this year’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, is fronting the Macmillian campaign.
Visit the site here.