Can MrBeast save humanity?

03/26/24 • 28 min

Meet Jimmy Donaldson, perhaps better known as MrBeast – the 25-year-old YouTuber who some say is on the verge of sparking a revolution in online philanthropy.

With more than 236 million YouTube subscribers and an estimated net worth of $500m, MrBeast has turned his focus from filling houses with Lego bricks to curing blind people and building wells.

Lucinda asks Darren Margolias, the executive director of Jimmy’s charitable venture Beast Philanthropy, why MrBeast’s storytelling may have the edge over charities in reaching a younger generation of potential donors.

Plus, the philanthropy expert Rhodri Davies and the anti-racism consultant Martha Awojobi ask: is there anything charities could learn from the ways MrBeast taps into the natural human instinct to give back?

And exactly how ethical are his approaches to making the world a better place?

Listen to The End of Charity: Can MrBeast save humanity? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your podcast platform of choice.

Read the transcript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Jimmy Donaldson, perhaps better known as MrBeast – the 25-year-old YouTuber who some say is on the verge of sparking a revolution in online philanthropy.

With more than 236 million YouTube subscribers and an estimated net worth of $500m, MrBeast has turned his focus from filling houses with Lego bricks to curing blind people and building wells.

And exactly how ethical are his approaches to making the world a better place?

Listen to The End of Charity: Can MrBeast save humanity? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your podcast platform of choice.

Read the transcript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

The food bank era

Last year the UK food bank network the Trussell Trust distributed almost 3 million emergency food parcels, 1 million of which were for children, up from 50,000 a decade ago.

How has the UK landed in such a severe hunger crisis – and can food banks ever be the solution?

In episode one of The End of Charity, journalist Lucinda Rouse hears from the Trussell Trust’s chief executive, Emma Revie, about the need to reimagine our social contract at a time when demand for charities is greater than ever.

And the philanthropy expert Rhodri Davies traces the history of charity from its mediaeval and Victorian origins to its present state – where “something is fundamentally broken.”

Read the transcript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Who are charities missing?

Why donate to a charity if you can just help out a fellow human yourself – or buy a piece of premium fashion that promises to generate a similar result?

In episode three of The End of Charity, Lucinda Rouse explores two very different alternatives to the charity model: mutual aid theory, and the rise of buzzy “for good” business.

The activist and founder of Mutual Aid UK, Eshe Kiama Zuri, discusses mutual aid as an alternative to the “oppressive dynamics” of traditional charitable structures, suggesting that charities could act more effectively and meet community needs by devolving funding to grassroots organisations.

Theo Clay, the former policy manager of the think tank New Philanthropy Capital, identifies the UK’s charity "deserts" – causes and geographical areas that receive insufficient funding.

And the finance and enterprise development expert Tej Dhami explores the opportunities and pitfalls for businesses looking to capitalise on socially conscious customers whilst attempting to solve some of the world's biggest problems.

Read the transcript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.