The digital age has bred a new type of philanthropist: online content creators with huge followings and platforms to share issues they care about. YouTuber MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has the biggest subscriber count on the site.
This weekend, Donaldson—reportedly worth $2.6 billion—posted a video sharing the process of building a village in Ghana, complete with houses, a school, toilet facilities, a marketplace, a community farm, and a well.
The creator said he spent $10 million building the village named Abna Dakwa, which also included infrastructure changes to drainage around the existing settlement to stop it from flooding.
Donaldson’s aim is to keep families and children out of illegal labor, with Donaldson writing on social media platform X that his 14-year career on YouTube so far had been leading up to the humanitarian project, which took eight months to complete.
But Donaldson, known for his catchy video titles such as Escape 100 cops, win $500,000′and 7 days stranded on an island, acknowledged that his audience may not engage as enthusiastically with his philanthropic work compared to his light-hearted and dramatic videos.
“It prob won’t perform that well, but it’s something I care a lot about and I hope my passion for it shines through,” Donaldson, 28, wrote on X ahead of the video release.
When a follower pointed out that MrBeast’s humanitarian videos tend to get less than other content, Donaldson doubled down. He responded: “It’s funny when people say I only help people for views because it’s literally the opposite lol. Doesn’t matter though, helping people brings me purpose, and even if no one watches, I’ll keep making them.”
Admittedly, Donaldson’s audience may not fully understand what philanthropy is yet: His core viewership skews heavily toward ages 11 to 24, with the strongest concentration among middle schoolers through younger university students. By contrast, the age of the average philanthropist in the U.S. is 64 years old, according to the National Philanthropic Trust.
However, Donaldson’s commitment to similar projects in the future echoes trends observed in children of wealthy families. Katherine Lorenz, who leads the Next Gen group—a network of heirs and family members involved in shaping philanthropic strategy—at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’s Giving Pledge, recently told Fortune that young heirs are pushing their parents to give away cash more quickly.
“I see more younger generation folks pushing on their parents to give more,” Lorenz told Fortune. “[They’re saying], ‘You made enough money, mom and dad. It’s time to give it away and to give it away faster.’”
Donaldson’s philanthropic work
The scale of Donaldson’s town build also extended to offering free school meals to pupils at the newly-built school for five years, as the team behind the scheme hoped this would encourage children and their families to stay in education, rather than beginning illegal work.
The latest project is part of a wider goal of Donaldson’s Beast Philanthropy non-profit, which aims to eradicate child labor in Ghana. Other targets include bringing clean water to millions of people, delivering more than 48 million meals to those who are food insecure, and planting more than 25 million trees.
One user questioned why Donaldson wasn’t doing more for Greenville, North Carolina, where the creator grew up and now has his operational headquarters. The entrepreneur replied on X: “If I listed all the philanthropic things we do locally I literally wouldn’t be able to fit it in this tweet.”
In the evolving landscape of philanthropy, a new breed of philanthropist has emerged: online content creators with substantial platforms and influence. Among these, YouTuber MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, stands out with the highest subscriber count on the platform. Recently, Donaldson, who has an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion, shared a compelling video documenting his ambitious project of building a village in Ghana. The village, named Abna Dakwa, includes essential infrastructure such as houses, a school, toilet facilities, a marketplace, a community farm, and a well, all constructed at a cost of $10 million. This initiative also involved making improvements to the drainage system of the existing settlement to mitigate flooding issues.
Donaldson’s motivation for this project stems from a desire to protect families and children from falling into illegal labor. He noted on social media that his 14-year journey on YouTube has been leading to this significant humanitarian endeavor, which took eight months to bring to fruition. However, he recognized that his audience might not engage with this philanthropic work as enthusiastically as they do with his more entertaining, dramatic videos. In anticipation of the video’s release, he expressed his concern on X (formerly Twitter) that it might not perform well in terms of viewership. Despite this, he emphasized the importance of his work, stating, “It’s something I care a lot about and I hope my passion for it shines through.”
Addressing comments about the typical performance of his humanitarian videos, Donaldson reiterated his commitment to helping others, stating, “It’s funny when people say I only help people for views because it’s literally the opposite lol. Doesn’t matter though, helping people brings me purpose, and even if no one watches, I’ll keep making them.” This sentiment highlights a stark contrast between his audience, which predominantly consists of younger viewers aged 11 to 24, and the traditional demographic of philanthropists in the United States, whose average age is 64, according to the National Philanthropic Trust.
Donaldson’s philanthropic efforts are not isolated; they reflect broader trends among younger generations of wealthy individuals who are increasingly advocating for rapid charitable giving. Katherine Lorenz, a leader in the Next Gen group at the Giving Pledge, noted that younger heirs are encouraging their parents to distribute their wealth more quickly, emphasizing the urgency of philanthropic efforts. This generational push aligns with Donaldson’s approach, as he aims to make a significant impact through his non-profit organization, Beast Philanthropy.
The village project in Ghana is part of a larger mission to combat child labor, provide clean water, deliver meals to those facing food insecurity, and contribute to environmental sustainability through tree-planting initiatives. Specific to the Ghana project, Donaldson’s team has committed to providing free school meals for students at the newly constructed school for the next five years, aiming to incentivize education and deter families from resorting to illegal work.
In response to inquiries about his philanthropic activities in his hometown of Greenville, North Carolina, where he operates his business, Donaldson assured his followers that he is also engaged in local philanthropic efforts. He indicated that the scope of his local initiatives is extensive enough that detailing them would be impractical in a single tweet.
Overall, MrBeast’s philanthropic ventures exemplify a shift in how influence can be leveraged for social good in the digital age. By utilizing his platform to address critical issues such as child labor and education, Donaldson not only raises awareness but also takes tangible steps toward making a difference in communities both locally and globally. His commitment to philanthropy, despite potential challenges in audience engagement, underscores a deeper purpose that resonates with a new generation of philanthropists eager to effect change.
