Last One to Bid Turn Off the Lights

Two years ago, Date on Purpose was launched to combine online dating and meaningful giving. I imagined a scalable platform that would one day evolve where a visitor would pick a charity of his or her choice, and then bid on a date in a nearby city to support the cause.

So I launched a startup to bring the traditional bachelor/bachelorette auction online to allow people to bid on dates with eligible singles.

With a small core team and many volunteers but no funding, we spoke to many charities, built a website and social media presence, and recruited dozens of men and women to bring the concept to life. Our initial online charity concluded in a semi-formal live launch event on October 18, and I'm proud to say the event was a success and a really, really good time.

Date and Purpose is proud to have tried something different in the online dating space – but, above all, we’re grateful for the community of charities, partners, bachelors, bachelorettes, bidders, and visitors who supported us. It's been a joy to see an idea grow from dream to reality – and be able to help worthy charities raise money.

Although we succeeded in many ways, we also faced obstacles and were not able to overcome the challenges that would enable us to continue. We tried our best, but regretfully, we have made the difficult decision to cease operations. Date on Purpose will officially close its doors on December 19, 2015.

We say goodbye, and thank you. It was our privilege to create something new and give back.

Frank Gullo

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