“Why would I join a shidduch website?” he asked. “I already have more names than I can handle.”

I couldn’t have agreed more. “That’s exactly the issue,” I said. “You want compatible suggestions, not countless suggestions.”

It’s been a relatively straightforward task to explain the value of Canopy Shidduchim to young women. Yes, we emphasize our foundation of chesed, our commitment to privacy and dignity, and the care we take to ensure a 1:1 ratio of men to women daters. But above all, it’s a channel for receiving ideas. And for many women navigating shidduchim, that alone is meaningful.

Men, on the other hand, don’t immediately see the value. They are managing 10, 20, 50 ideas and hoping something on a page will give them a clue as to which idea might be the right idea. This difficulty has created pressure points in the shidduch world. For example, as making shidduchim becomes more complex, fast-moving, and globalized, we have started to commonly share photos. This practice certainly emerged with the best intentions and motivated by the desire to make shidduchim. With so many suggestions flying, a picture can ground a resume. In an instant, it clarifies whether an idea is on target or off base. But even with photo-sharing, the underlying problem remains. Men continue to feel overwhelmed, and struggle to determine which ideas to reasonably pursue.

Canopy Shidduchim was founded on a basis of chesed – a desire to approach shidduchim with the same care and sensitivity brought to every communal need. We asked a simple question: “Why is shidduchim treated differently from every other chesed?” A Hatzalah member would never chastise a heart attack victim for smoking; yet, well-meaning criticism is often given in shidduchim. No chesed organization charges the people in need; but in shidduchim, it’s common for daters to pay for shidduch services.

Canopy Shidduchim applies the donation-based, nonprofit model to shidduchim. Our daters don’t pay to join. There are no premium or priority levels. Everyone has access to the same service, all for free. Our shadchanim are all volunteers and trained to offer support, honor boundaries, and provide guidance only when requested. Our shadchanim are thoughtfully selected to ensure they share our values.

On Canopy, each dater submits an anonymous profile, which includes the same information on a typical shidduch resume—but without names or identifying details. It also includes a very specific description of the dater and what s/he is looking for. Once approved to join, daters receive one anonymous profile per day. This idea does not come from a shadchan. It is technology-generated. If both sides agree they want to see more, each dater receives the full, identifying shidduch resume and a shadchan is assigned to coordinate. At this stage, they have not yet agreed to a date, and have simply decided to further explore the idea.

This model enhances privacy and clarity. It protects shadchanim from burnout by putting daters in the driver’s seat at an early stage. Shadchanim often spent hours going between two daters on a potential idea, only to have the idea unravel after much time and effort because one dater realized the other was 5″4 or 5″6 or 5″8 and that was a dealbreaker. Canopy preserves the shadchan’s time, saving their wisdom and guidance for the conversations that matter most.

Because we care about our system working in the best possible way, we require daters to join in pairs. One man for every one woman. This may be arranged, for example, with a sibling or cousin. Those without a pair can ask a Canopy shadchan for assistance or join a waitlist, where daters are paired on a first-come, first-served basis. This 1:1 ratio is essential to ensuring the best, most useful operating model.

Canopy was built by alumnae of Manhattan High School for Girls and before launching, received brachos for hatzlacha from Harav Rav Dovid Cohen, shlit”a and Harav Asher Weiss, shlit”a. At Canopy, we are growth-oriented – constantly seeking feedback, evaluating outcomes, and refining our approach. We believe in the benefits of the shidduch system and also in leveraging technology to strengthen that mesorah.

It’s hard to think of a more universal צורך ציבור than shidduchim. Nearly every frum family, at one point or another, will go through shidduchim. And whether you’re currently dating, a dater’s parent or relative, or just someone who cares, Canopy Shidduchim offers a meaningful way to be part of the solution. We’re accepting partners in chesed at canopyshidduchim.com.