A highly renowned American charitable organization is partnering with the internet's foremost content creator to foster in young individuals an awareness of what they term the planet's “most vulnerable” inhabitants.
TL;DR
- Beast Philanthropy and the Rockefeller Foundation are partnering to engage young people in global issues.
- The collaboration combines MrBeast's audience engagement with Rockefeller's philanthropic experience.
- They aim to foster optimism and demonstrate that global problems are solvable through joint efforts.
- Initial work includes combating child labor in the cocoa industry and learning from each other's development work.
Beast Philanthropy, the charity established by MrBeast founder Jimmy Donaldson, and the Rockefeller Foundation revealed a strategic alliance on Monday. This collaboration aims to combine Donaldson’s exceptional skill in engaging young audiences with the foundation’s century-plus experience in leveraging its assets and technology to address worldwide challenges.
The partners, speaking together before a video shoot scheduled for November 21st at MrBeast's studio in Greenville, North Carolina, praised the distinct advantages they anticipate sharing.
“I’ve spent my entire life making YouTube videos. They’ve spent their entire lives helping people,” Donaldson told The Associated Press. “Obviously, they have a team who’s way more experienced than me in helping people, but being able to pull on their knowledge and wisdom is amazing.”
“I just want to download their brains into our team’s brains,” he added.
Rockefeller Foundation president Dr. Rajiv Shah noted that the philanthropic sector has historically struggled to capture “the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of young people.” He suggested that MrBeast could assist in connecting with younger demographics, fostering optimism, and conveying their initiatives in a more understandable manner.
Most people have a natural desire to help others, according to Shah, but we teach ourselves that world problems are “too big and too complicated” to solve. He pointed to MrBeast’s video in Zambia, where they provided a village with solar-powered electricity and clean water wells.
“What Jimmy’s already done is show that you can change that dramatically,” Shah said. “If we can get people believing that they can make a difference through this collaboration, we will have achieved something really unique and really special.”
This action indicates Donaldson's ongoing efforts to develop a company with diverse ventures, encompassing an entertainment studio, food products, his own James Patterson book agreement, and most recently, a temporary theme park in Saudi Arabia. He hired venture capitalist Jeff Housenbold as CEO in the previous year and subsequently brought on hired more new executives as a series of controversies threatened to advance his goals before the launch of his Amazon Prime reality game show.
It’s an unlikely marriage to some. The Rockefeller Foundation is a pillar of civil society established with wealth amassed by the 19th-century oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller during the Gilded Age whereas the 27-year-old Donaldson represents the 21st century “influencer” economy where entire media empires can emerge from content creators’ viral stunts and the online buzz they generate.
Phila Engaged Giving founder Stephanie Ellis-Smith stated that “It’s encouraging to see an influencer like MrBeast embrace the expertise of established philanthropy — of the Rockefeller Foundation, in particular — to hone the work of his platform,”. “Honestly, to me, it shows a sense of humility in his approach that I personally haven’t seen before.”
Ellis-Smith, who assists affluent benefactors in amplifying their contributions, stated that complex global challenges necessitate a “thoughtful approach” rather than solely “numbers” or “eyeballs.” However, she expressed enthusiasm for exploring the potential of merging MrBeast's extensive audience with “real expertise.”
Shah admitted that the Rockefeller Foundation seldom engages in collaborations of this nature. Nevertheless, he mentioned that spending time with Donaldson and his mother, alongside observing his philanthropy-focused videos, conveyed the YouTube megastar's “personal commitment to philanthropy.”
Shah also found a natural synergy between the MrBeast team’s focus on data and Rockefeller desire to make philanthropy “results-oriented and science-based.” Donaldson’s obsession with viewership metrics is well documented and the YouTube page is known for its meticulous editing to ensure fans not only click thumbnails but watch videos all the way through.
“We bring innovation, a sense of purpose and a deep commitment to measuring results to those efforts. And, over time, it’s literally helped hundreds of millions of people escape poverty, hunger and disease,” Shah said. “I just think Jimmy, and the enterprise he’s built and the perspective that he brings, is totally consistent with that.”
Discussions are ongoing to finalize the specific challenges they will address collaboratively, and no joint funding initiatives have been announced. However, Shah highlighted the Rockefeller Foundation's extensive experience in fighting child malnutrition and pointed to Beast Philanthropy's documentary about a school lunch program.
Already, though, they have started working to combat child labor in the cocoa industry.
Donaldson, through his snack venture Feastables, aims to demonstrate that chocolate production can be profitable while eschewing child labor on cacao plantations. His objective is to ensure farmers earn sufficient incomes, foster economic stability allowing children to attend school rather than work on farms, and leverage his YouTube platform to mobilize consumers in support of fair-trade principles.
MrBeast has been consulted by The Rockefeller Foundation regarding “how they should go about the case study,”, as stated by Donaldson. Consequently, both entities plan to travel to Ghana in the coming year to “learn from one another’s work in development, community-led change, and global storytelling.”.
Donaldson said he wants to use his influence to inspire youth to “do good and volunteer and donate and care about these projects.” But he hopes the Rockefeller Foundation can help him be more efficient and make “real, lasting change.” He said it doesn’t make sense for him to “go make the same mistakes they’ve made a bajillion times.”
The philanthropic sector often gets “stuck in their way of doing things,” according to Giving Compass Director of Development and Philanthropic Partnerships Milan Ball, who said Monday’s announcement represents a welcome change.
Ball, 28, found it particularly impactful considering Donaldson's history of securing millions in a single day. She proposed that his videos connect not only with children, a key demographic for Rockefeller due to Gen Z's diminishing faith in established entities, but also with their parents.
“We need more bridge building between generations, between the institutions that exist and then this new infrastructure that’s emerging,” she said.
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The Associated Press's reporting on philanthropy and nonprofit organizations is made possible by its partnership with The Conversation US, which is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. This content is exclusively the responsibility of the AP.