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Macmillan Cancer Support launches Facebook dating service to raise funds
Howard Lake | 18 March 2014 | News
Macmillan Cancer Support have created My Mate Your Date, an social media dating service that will raise funds for the charity. People taking part will ask friends to set them up with friends on Facebook whom them think would be a good match.
Research commissioned by Macmillan found that single people are three times more likely to trust a Facebook profile than an online dating site profile. Indeed, nine out of ten Britons think online dating has become more acceptable in the past three years.
The charity also found that 69% of people surveyed said that they would be happy for a friend to suggest dates through Facebook.
Macmillan’s My Mate Your Date encourages people using the service to donate money for every date suggested, not least because they will be saving the usual online dating site subscription fee.
“Love mentor” Elizabeth Sullivan welcomed the new service. She said:
“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!’
How it works
My Mate Your Date asks single people carefully to choose friends to suggest dates for them over a 30 day period. The single person then reviews the dates and requests introductions if they’re interested, with all money collected at the end of the 30 days going to Macmillan.
It is free to sign up, “no online profiles or photos are shared”, according to Macmillan, and participants can suggest the amount they want to pay per date suggested.
Model Amy Willerton, who is supporting the launch of Macmillan’s campaign, said:
“I’m so excited to be involved in My Mate Your Date. Dating for charity is such a clever idea- I love setting people up so I can’t wait to encourage all my friends to get involved and raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, to help make sure no-one faces cancer alone.”
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.