Welcome to the fourth edition of Cause & Capital.

My goal: Inform your giving strategies.

Every month in Cause & Capital, I break down a brand's corporate giving campaign or one of the world's leading philanthropists — uncovering what worked, why it worked, and how you can apply those insights to your own cause investments, whether you're giving as a brand or an individual.

Let's get into it.

You might know MrBeast as "that YouTube guy who gives away Teslas," or the creator behind those impossible challenges. Maybe you’ve never heard of him.

But Jimmy Donaldson has built something far more sophisticated: a billion-dollar business empire where philanthropy isn't a side project—it's the engine.

Since 2017, he's donated over $300 million through Beast Philanthropy, funded 1,000 cataract surgeries that restored sight, planted 24 million trees, and removed 15 million pounds of ocean trash.

​Who He Is (And Why It Matters)

Jimmy Donaldson was a broke teenager obsessed with cracking YouTube's algorithm. At 13, he started making gaming videos in his bedroom in North Carolina. By 19, he went viral counting to 100,000 in a single 44-hour video.

Instead of keeping his YouTube earnings, he started giving them away on camera. First $10,000 to a homeless person. Then $100,000. Then millions. Each video's ad revenue funded bigger giveaways, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of viral content and charitable giving.

Today, at 27, he's the most-subscribed individual creator on YouTube with 396 million followers across his channels. His company, Beast Industries, generated $473 million in revenue in 2024 and is valued at $5 billion.

​The Big Promise

MrBeast set out to prove that helping people at scale could be more profitable than traditional business models.

His Beast Philanthropy channel operates on a deceptively simple principle: 100% of revenue goes to charity. Every view, every ad dollar, every sponsorship becomes fuel for the next charitable project.

The main MrBeast channel takes it further—using increasingly expensive stunts and giveaways to generate views that fund both entertainment and philanthropy.

His stated goal: Give away every penny before he dies.

MrBeast built multiple revenue streams that all feed the charitable engine:

YouTube Ad Revenue: $85 million annually from 3 billion monthly views

Brand Sponsorships: $2.5-3 million per video integration

Feastables: His chocolate brand generated $215 million in 2024

MrBeast Burger: Virtual restaurant chain (though currently in litigation)

Beast Games: Amazon Prime series with record-breaking $10 million prize

Merchandise & Licensing: Including toys that made $65 million in six months

Total Beast Industries revenue: $473 million in 2024, projected $899 million in 2025.

Here's the genius: MrBeast claims to keep less than $1 million in his bank account. Everything else gets reinvested into content and charity. A typical cycle:

Beast Philanthropy (Founded 2020)

Team Trees (2019)

Team Seas (2021)

#TeamWater (2025)

Direct Medical Interventions

Every charitable act becomes content. The cataract surgery video hit 150 million views—more than the Super Bowl. The formula:

​What Actually Worked (And Why)

1. Making Charity Entertaining

Traditional nonprofits struggle to get anyone to read their annual reports. MrBeast gets 150 million people to watch 8 minutes of cataract surgery footage. The difference? Production value, storytelling, and genuine emotional payoff.

2. The Compound Effect

Each video funds 2-3 more videos. Early $10,000 giveaways led to $100,000 giveaways, which led to million-dollar productions. The audience grows, revenue grows, impact grows—all without traditional fundraising.

3. Transparency Through Simplicity

"$1 = 1 tree" or "$1 = 1 pound of trash" makes impact crystal clear. No administrative fee confusion, no wondering where money goes. See the surgery happen. Watch the tree get planted.

4. Creator Coalition Building

By recruiting hundreds of creators for Team Trees and Team Seas, MrBeast turned individual charity into internet-wide movements. The combined reach—over 1 billion subscribers—created unstoppable momentum.

The Exploitation Critique

Critics argue he turns vulnerable people into content. The blind surgery video faced backlash for "ableist" framing and using disability for views. Disability advocates noted the video lacked audio description—ironically making it inaccessible to blind viewers.

Quality Control Nightmares

MrBeast Burger's rapid scaling led to inconsistent food quality. He's now suing his partner company for damaging his reputation. The lesson: viral scaling without infrastructure fails.

The Savior Complex Problem

Headlines like "MrBeast Cures Blindness!" oversimplify complex medical and social issues. The surgical center in Ghana does important work, but framing it as "fixing Africa" plays into problematic narratives.

Sustainability Questions

The model depends entirely on Donaldson's personal brand. Unlike Newman's Own (which survived its founder), Beast Philanthropy might not outlast MrBeast.

The Billionaire Paradox

Despite a $1 billion net worth on paper, MrBeast claims financial stress—even borrowing from his mother for his wedding. The pressure to always go bigger creates an unsustainable treadmill.

​Lessons Whether You're a Brand or an Individual

1. Make the ask worth watching

Your charitable content needs to compete with entertainment, not other charities. Invest in production value, storytelling, and genuine human moments.

2. Build regenerative models

Structure your giving so it creates more resources, not less. Whether through content, social proof, or business integration—charity should compound.

3. Simplify the math

Complex impact metrics lose people. Find your "$1 = 1 tree" equivalent. Make the connection between action and outcome unmistakable.

4. Own the criticism

When people question your motives, double down on results. MrBeast doesn't defend his methods—he points to 1,000 people who can see.

5. Start before you're ready

MrBeast gave away his first $10,000 when he was barely breaking even. The perfect philanthropic moment never comes. Start small, reinvest everything, scale from there.

6. Coalition beats solo

The biggest impact comes from movement building, not individual action. Who can you bring along? What platform can you create for others to contribute?

Cheers,
Christine

PS - Are you exploring your giving strategy?

I'd love to discuss. After watching how MrBeast turned charity into sustainable business, I'm more convinced than ever that strategic giving multiplies impact. Whether you're thinking about corporate philanthropy or personal giving, I can help you find models that create lasting change.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reaches 67,000 pediatricians nationwide. Like MrBeast's visibility model, we believe in making impact impossible to ignore.

Reply if you'd like to chat.