SDN's role in the industry has not always been that of facilitating and accrediting. When it was first established in 1984 as SDU, it functioned on its own, organising activities for its members without the help of commercial agencies. It was only in 2006 that the then SDU decided on a major change in approach: it let the private sector be the main provider of matchmaking and dating services, focusing instead on accrediting and funding private dating agencies and projects. This was done in the hopes of creating a more vibrant dating scene and of allowing singles to have more options to interact with others of different educational levels.