Dating app Tinder teams up with the NHS to promote organ donation

Tinder has long-concerned itself with affairs of the heart, but through the final couple of weeks of 2015 the dating app is switching its attention to other organs. Teaming up with NHS Blood and Transplant, Tinder is looking to raise awareness of organ donation.

The campaign aims to highlight to 18-35 year olds the importance of organ donation, and the challenging wait for a matching organ. A number of celebrities are getting involved, changing their profile pictures to a 'The Wait' logo. When users swipe right they will be invited to sign up on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

While you may be able to meet the love of your life by swiping right, it's not quite so simple to match up with an organ donor. This is something the app highlights by displaying the message: "If only it was that easy for those in need of a life saving organ to find a match". NHS Blood and Transplant is running an awareness campaign called The Wait, letting the public know that there are currently nearly 7,000 people on the organ transplant waiting list.

More worryingly, over 6,000 people have died in the last ten years because they were not able to find a suitable match in time. By encouraging more people to join the donor register, it's hoped that both of these figures could be reduced.

Tinder's Head of European Communications, Hermione Way, says:

We're delighted to have teamed up with NHS Blood and Transplant to help save lives. Tinder users regularly make the decision to swipe left or right wondering whether someone may be the person they are looking for. While those swiping decisions are important and could be the first step to a successful relationship, we hope that the NHS profiles featuring Jamie, Jade and Gemma will encourage people to make and act upon a different decision too -- to sign up as an organ donor.

Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, says that there is a real need to translate people's good intention into actual sign-ups.

Educating and encouraging people to sign up for organ donation -- that's what our partnership with Tinder is all about. While a third of the UK population have registered their intention to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register, millions more support donation but haven't taken the final step to sign up. With the help of these bespoke profiles on Tinder, we’ll grab people's attention and throw a spotlight on the importance of organ donation. Joining the register takes only a couple of minutes -- about the same amount of time as a few swipes on Tinder. The best part is knowing that you could save or improve up to nine individuals' lives in the future.

If you would like to join the NHS Organ Donor Register, just head to organdonation.nhs.uk.

Photo credit: Csaba Deli / Shutterstock