The Love Co-op
Be your own cupid
The Love Co-op is an online dating cooperative that is 100% owned by our members — not by outside investors. [Learn more about co-ops]
What makes the Love Co-op different from other online dating sites?
• Significantly lower membership fees than other online dating sites. [Compare dating site fees]
• Each members gets an equal vote on how the service is run, and on which new features they'd like to see. [How voting works]
• Members share in the profits. [How surplus distribution works]
Compare dating site fees
Yahoo! Personals one-month subscription: $29.99
Yahoo! Personals 12-month subscription: $191.88
Match.com one-month subscription: $34.99
Match.com 12-month subscription: $203.88
eHarmony one-month subscription: $59.95
eHarmony 12-month subscription: $239.40
Chemistry.com one-month subscription: $49.95
Chemistry.com 12-month subscription: $249.96
Love Co-op one-month subscription: $14.99 ($10 membership fee + $4.99 monthly subscription)
Love Co-op 12-month subscription: $49.99 ($10 membership fee + $39.99 annual subscription)
Members' voting rights
Each member of the Love Co-op gets an equal say in how the service is run.
Members elect the Love Co-op's board of directors, and they are also periodically prompted to vote on proposed changes to the site (e.g. new features), proposed capital improvements, proposed marketing initiatives, and on other important decisions about how the organization is run.
How surplus distribution works
A typical company's primary goal is to make its shareholders rich. In contrast, a cooperative's primary goal is to benefit its members, not to make money for outside investors.
When the Love Co-op generates a surplus — the income left over once all expenses have been paid — the board of directors makes decisions about where the surplus goes. Some of the surplus is retained to help the co-op grow, some is used to help the community, and the rest is distributed back to our members in the form of patronage refunds: A portion of what you've spent on the Love Co-op's services is refunded to you.
You can elect to receive your patronage refund as a check (a small processing fee may apply) or as a credit toward future purchases.