The Scoop: Tara McDonnell, of Your Matchmaker, works primarily with single professionals who need help sifting through the dating scene and finding a relationship. This award-winning matchmaker has developed an effective match formula that has worked for UK singles as young as 27 and as old as 68. In 2018, Tara applied her values-driven system to the online world and expanded her influence on global scale. No Games Dating is a straightforward dating app that removes the mind games from online dating. The matching algorithm pairs people up based on core values and shared goals, which gives singles a chance to connect on something more substantial than their looks. Thousands of singles in the US and the UK have signed up for No Games Dating to meet authentic daters and find a real relationship.
If you’re looking for a serious relationship, nothing is worse than wasting precious time talking to someone who isn’t sure what they want. They waffle on the commitment question and prefer to just see where things go. Spoiler alert: It’s nowhere.
Casual dating is fine for 19-year-olds who are still figuring out who they are and want they want, but many single adults are way past that stage of life. They know exactly what they want, and it’s a real relationship with a genuine person.

Tara McDonnell founded Your Matchmaker to give singles an effective alternative to online dating.
A growing number of online daters have gotten fed up with the superficial swiping culture. They’re ready to get off the carousel of first dates and start the next chapter of their lives. But how do they do that? UK Matchmaker Tara McDonnell might just have the answer.
The seasoned matchmaker told us she has seen a marked increase in the number of young daters contacting her matchmaking firm, Your Matchmaker, in the last few years. Her youngest client is 27, so she couldn’t take on these 20-somethings looking for a real relationship, but she did want to help them find love another way.
So she decided to bridge the gap between matchmaking and online dating by building a tool that could empower relationship-minded singles to find one another with no muss and no fuss.
She called it No Games Dating. This revolutionary dating app has exploded in popularity since its launch earlier this year. Thousands of relatively young singles seem drawn to its quality-first message, and the app has taken particular hold among the US single population. Around 80% of users are from the States.
“When we set up the app, we didn’t envision that so many people in the US would be interested,” Tara said. “We’ve grown the database to over 5,000 people, and we’ve got that amount of people without doing much promotion, so I imagine when we do start marketing it, No Games Dating will really take off.”
Over 5,000 Profiles Have Been Created, Reviewed & Approved
While No Games Dating is still fairly new on the scene, the dating app has already seen thousands of sign-ups. Roughly 650 users join each month, and Tara said she expects that number to grow as word spreads about its simple and efficient system. In total, over 5,000 singles have created profiles and been approved by Tara’s team.

No Games Dating allows members to sign up, like profiles, and send a set number of messages for free.
No Games Dating is app designed to satisfy men and women seeking a serious relationship, and that message has resonated with a surprisingly young crowd. Approximately 75% of users are between 18 and 35 years old. “That tells me young people are struggling with online dating as it is today,” Tara said. “They’re looking for a better way.”
From its in-depth profile setup to its thorough vetting system, No Games Dating aims to be that better solution for commitment-seeking singles. It’s free to sign up, but free members have to upgrade to one-month, three-month, or six-month subscription packages to use all the features on the app.
To become a full-fledged member on the app, you must fill out a profile describing who you are, what you like, and what you’re hoping to find on the app. Users must provide answers to these three open-ended questions. They can’t simply auto-fill a profile, but have to put some time and thought into it.
“The most important thing is getting people to be honest about what they want” Tara said. “That way we can send quality matches based on their criteria, quality, and values. Our algorithm takes care of that; there are no matchmakers on the site. We don’t get involved with the matching on the app.”
Your Matchmaker created the app, but the matchmakers don’t arrange matches or use the database for their clients. It is separate from the matchmaking side of a business. While Tara does review members and remove inauthentic profiles, she does not arrange dates on No Games Dating. The app isn’t a matchmaking tool — it’s simply another resource for singles who want to find love.
Better Serving Clients by Collaborating With Colleagues
Your Matchmaker is a UK-based dating agency with an international reach. Though Tara focuses on serving singles in London, Sussex, Surrey, West Kent, and Hampshire, she can refer clients to useful matchmaking resources by drawing from her professional network. This award-winning matchmaker works closely with her colleagues to support relationship-minded singles no matter where they live.
Tara understands the importance of fostering a safe, discrete, and values-driven matchmaking system, and she puts a lot of energy into making sure her singles database lives up to her clients’ standards. Her target demographic is the typical busy professional. She works with lawyers, doctors, teachers, and entrepreneurs who are over 30 and eager to settle down with a compatible partner.

Your Matchmaker, formerly South Downs Introductions, won the UK Dating Award for Best Newcomer Matchmaker in 2015.
Sometimes Tara doesn’t have that perfect match in her database, so she reaches out to her fellow matchmakers to see if they have a good fit in their networks.
“We’re often able to cross-match our clients,” she said, “which is a very good thing because it shows that other professionals are interested in working together.”
This professional collaboration has strengthened Your Matchmaker’s brand and reputation as a results-oriented firm, and it has also benefited the matchmaking industry as a whole by ensuring professionals have the resources they need to successfully make a match.
Your Matchmaker & No Games Dating Will Help Serious Daters Find Love
Today’s online dating culture caters to the see-where-it-goes, check-out-your-options, and date-around crowd. These singles swipe based on what they see, and don’t put much thought or effort into making a match. Those of us with professions, reputations, and relationship goals can get left behind in this fast-paced dating scene. That’s something that has to change.
Tara’s thoughtful approach to matchmaking and online dating seeks to give serious daters the serious tools they need to wind up in a relationship. She has expanded her database and honed her quality-driven matching techniques to give singles everywhere the best possible opportunity to find love. By launching a dating app, Tara has changed what it means to be modern matchmaker and positioned herself to help more singles around the world.
Whether she finds a compatible date in her own database or through a colleague’s network, Tara’s goal is to explore as many avenues as possible to get her clients to their happily ever afters.
“In this industry, you can’t stand alone,” she said. “You need to reach out and work with others because that’s going to help you serve your clients and give you greater access to potential matches for them.”