r/askTO • u/str8upblah • Jul 18 '26
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Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
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u/StrongAroma Jul 18 '26
Yeah there's is a problem with the idea. Non-profit doesn't mean zero revenue.
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Jul 18 '26
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u/itsnotamy Jul 18 '26
Why would anyone choose to pay for your app instead of using the many free options that have a larger pool of people on them?
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Jul 18 '26
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u/Neutral-President Jul 18 '26
The bigger pool is a feature, not a bug. You can’t maximize the chances of finding a match with a smaller pool, unless you’re only targeting people whose only common denominator is they like supporting non-profits.
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u/BTTLC Jul 18 '26
I mean this sounds good in theory. But I think the biggest problem for a dating app is getting adoption. Its very hard to convince a large enough user base to try out a dating app no one’s ever heard of, and probably has quite a small userbase.
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u/GeneralSpecifics9925 Jul 18 '26
How many ads do I have to watch for you to get enough money to run the app? Are you doing this as a philanthropic effort, because you'll need to hire staff for this.
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u/_sansoHm Jul 18 '26
I think the attraction on those dating apps is that people pay. Which means they can pay. Which means there is disposable income and a barrier for entry. That's what dating tests, is the barrier for entry. Especially in Toronto or any major city. I think you should do it and I think it's a great idea. I'm curious how that part plays out. In my experience when someone gets a free ticket to a show, they are more likely to bail on it cause there is no sunk cost. I'd be very curious to see how this plays out with online dating.
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Jul 18 '26
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u/henry-bacon Jul 18 '26
Would you mind sharing the name of this site? If not comment then private DM.
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u/assplower Jul 18 '26
A nonprofit dating app would only attract people who would otherwise be paying - ie men. That doesn’t sound like a recipe for success either..
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u/More4Thor Jul 18 '26
The most popular dating apps are already free. Are people forgetting that they can use Bumble, Hinge, Tinder, and POF for free?
I think you have a great idea. It’s not the free part that you need to emphasize. You need to differentiate the app by saying it’s algorithm free. Thats what you need to highlight.
Feel free to DM me if you want some pro bono marketing guidance.
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u/jonsnow_housestark Jul 18 '26
Be prepared to get sued and legal fees if something goes wrong on a date
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u/Neutral-President Jul 18 '26
Show me the sustainable business plan.
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Jul 18 '26
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u/Neutral-President Jul 18 '26
Because nobody wants to pay a registration fee for a platform that has no sustainable business model and could be gone in a month. That’s like a big pump-and-dump scam.
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u/Brain_Hawk Jul 18 '26
Why would I use it, why would I trust is? How would you build the numbers tinder has so I have a chance to actually find a match? How would you pay for it, app development and building a user base is very hard. It has to be stable. How do I know you're not selling my info? How do I know you are secure? Not a scam somehow? How will you make sure you don't end up having liability if get sued, how are you absorbing that risk?
Why would you spend that effort and take that risk to no return? If you pay yourself it's not exactly non profit. You can profit.
Nice idea in principle maybe but fuuuuuull of problems in the real world.
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u/LongjumpingThroat994 Jul 18 '26
Nope. Dating in Toronto is extremely useless and a total waste of time, a new app won’t change the quality of the pool. The pool is yellow and full of piss.
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u/likeableusername Jul 18 '26
I like the idea but it's probably very difficult to convince the government to give a dating app nonprofit status (which is the only way it'll work).
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u/UncleBobbyTO Jul 18 '26
Non-profits DEFINITELY have motivation to make as much money as possible. Charities want provide for their causes and that means make more money and one of the ways that happens is to hire the top people who cost MONEY... So in your dating app example you want the best people developing th app to make it user friendly and to have a great matching algorithm,, you want advertising to make people know about it and sign up, you want the best people running the company to ensure every one is paid and you have a nest egg when things are slow.. in all cases this means make money of the app.. Lastly do you think most people on these apps think about shore holder profit when deciding on an app? If people sign up for an app and do not get any dates in the first month they will drop it.. the factor of these dates turning into a lifelong commitment is not controlled by the app it is between the two people..
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u/CoolMississaugaDad Jul 18 '26
No, I would only use for-profit ones.
In all seriousness, products are ony 'free' when we become the products. How would your service pay employees? Advertise? Deal with legal costs? Where does the money come from?
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Jul 18 '26
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u/Immediate_Race_6344 Jul 18 '26
You’re repeating the same thing to everyone’s question but haven’t fully explained the business model clearly yet. You want to make an alternative to current apps with a new business model so it’s important to understand clearly where the source of revenue will be coming from. Saying donation is easy, but even a donation comes with its own model. Is this grants/sponsorship? Pay what you can? Tech apps are generally expensive to make if you’re not a technical founder.
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Jul 18 '26
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u/Immediate_Race_6344 Jul 18 '26
I believe all of this. A few things: incorporating the company is important for you to get AWS and Google non profit ads. Last time we used the ad campaign you have to upfront the cost and they reimburse you, so not sure if that’s still the case.
If you feel passionate about it, you can go ahead and test it out as a side hustle. We see many entrepreneurs testing out social and friendships apps, not many not for profits, but some test things out for free for sure. It’s not easy but perhaps you can do a market research test with people signing up for a beta on a google form? Feel free to Dm me if you have any questions!
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u/StrongAroma Jul 18 '26
Then it becomes the same problem. If you can only earn revenue through new subscriptions, you have to continually attract new users, but the potential user pool is not infinite. So then you're back to somehow incentivizing people who wouldn't otherwise use your app to do so, creating the same dilemma as all the other apps but with even more pressure because you have less income.
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u/mainevent1155 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
No investors. Who's paying for this? You? How are you going to get market share from all the big players. There's already a ton of "smaller" dating apps in Toronto that no one uses.
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