Dating for a good cause

The phrase 'charity case' has been used unkindly to describe the scenario when an individual goes on a date with someone out of a sense of pity.

Taking cue from this common colloquialism, two sisters came up with a plan to develop it into a popular fundraising event that captures public attention - launching the Five In Five initiative on February 1 to provide assistance to a number of organisations that deal with urban poverty.

Andrea and Sally Tonkin initially noticed that there was a trend amongst their large circle of friends - there were a number of highly successful, genuinely nice individuals who were single for substantial lengths of time, despite their best efforts.

They all enjoyed an active social life with a diverse range of interests but - for one reason or another - had no luck in forming lasting, committed relationships.

With the Five In Five charity event, registered participants are set the task of finding five dates inside of a five-week period - they can be with different people or the same person over and over.

They can be sourced from anywhere - work, the gym, a night class, the choice is up to the patron - with the only rule being that there is no internet dating allowed.

Andrea Tonkin says this is because Five In Five is more about bringing back the old-school notion of dating - all face-to-face interactions, or "social skydiving" as one contributor puts it.

In a post on the event's website titled The Forces At Play, the author explains how the sense of dedication that comes after making the decision to begin finding new dates actively improves the participants' prospects.

The piece describes how a heightened state of awareness comes to the fore, making people take note of other people they find attractive - both inside and outside of their own social networks - and giving them the confidence to act.

This last part comes from the charity aspect of the new initiative, with participants paying a registration fee and encouraging their friends and family to make a donation for each successful date.

Being able to explain that you are committed to hosting five dates within five weeks - and you have chosen that specific person to take part in that experience - is both an ego booster and an icebreaker in one, giving both participants the best possible chance of having a pleasant evening.

While the initiative does not allow for internet dating, it does not shy away from social media - a dedicated Facebook page and Twitter channel are in place to inform patrons of any updates.

The Australian charities to benefit from this unique event are the St Kilda Gatehouse, Livewires and Whitelion - all community organisations that provide assistance to members of the community faced with issues relating to urban poverty.