Lesson one when organizing a charitable date auction: “selling” nights with eligible bachelors and bachelorettes to benefit an anti-human-trafficking organization doesn’t jive.

The University College Literary and Athletic Society (UC Lit), a student government at the University of Toronto, learned that the hard way after it announced proceeds from their third annual date auction would go to Walk With Me Canada Victims Services, an organization decided to supporting victims of human trafficking.

Candi Chin-Sang, a fourth-year student studying criminology and equity studies at the university and executive for the University College Orientation in 2014, posted concerns about the auction on UC Lit’s Facebook page last Tuesday. She told the Star she thought the event was inconsiderate to people who have experienced trafficking firsthand.

The concerns prompted UC Lit to change the fundraiser’s recipient to Central Neighbourhood House.

“We are committed to ensuring our constituents know that their voices are being heard,” UC Lit Eric Schwenger wrote in an email. He said UC Lit’s next fundraiser would benefit Walk With Me Canada.

An apology posted on the group’s Facebook page said the group hadn’t considered the event could be triggering for a victim or trivialize their experience.

Walk With Me Canada’s founder Timea Nagy said she learned about the group’s plan to donate through social media. Nagy said she didn’t appreciate the criticism of a group trying to raise awareness about human trafficking.

“Nobody’s forced to come to these date auctions. These are people who are trying to find love, so I don’t really completely understand why it got attacked.”

Still, she said she wasn’t sure Walk With Me Canada would have accepted money generated by a date auction.

Correction - January 21, 2014: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly referred to the University College Literary and Athletic Society (UC Lit) as University of Toronto's student government.