As employees, consumers, and donors, members of Gen Z strive to make immediate but lasting change. In the workplace, they tend to want a louder voice in decision making. In the marketplace, they prize environmental sustainability. And within philanthropy, Gen Z prefers to support causes rather than organizations and uses social media to spread awareness about issues.
While nonprofit leaders and fundraisers puzzle over how to reach Gen Z donors, online influencers such as MrBeast are already shaping their expectations of philanthropy. MrBeast, whose given name is Jimmy Donaldson, is a popular Gen Z YouTuber who went viral in 2017 for staging outlandish competitions with large cash payouts, such as re-creating Netflix’s Squid Game.
His YouTube videos often follow the same formula: absurd scenarios, clickbait titles, eye-popping cash prizes, and MrBeast facilitating it all. With more than 500 million subscribers across multiple channels and with most of his YouTube viewers under 25 years old, MrBeast has clearly mastered the algorithm that shapes what Gen Z watches on YouTube.
MrBeast launched Beast Philanthropy in 2020, a 501(c)(3) that, in its own words, “leverage[s] the power of social media to raise funds and help charitable causes around the world.” Dubbed the “Willy Wonka of YouTube,” his philanthropy adopts the same extreme antics as his buzzy competition videos. Videos such as “We Gave Away $1,000,000 Smiles” combine real-world need with over-the-top giveaways that generate likes, comments, and publicity. When a viewer clicks a video, the advertising revenue generated by that engagement supports Beast Philanthropy’s projects.
In this way, MrBeast teaches his young viewers that philanthropy is about inciting immediate change and that helping people can be a passive activity, involving little hard work. Neither notion is true, and as fundraisers find their footing with Gen Z donors, they must acknowledge and manage these misconceptions.
A Ringmaster or a Trespasser?
As long-time fundraisers, we’ve had conversations with Gen Z colleagues and donors that reveal two equally strong impressions of MrBeast and his philanthropy. For some, he’s the Puckish ringmaster behind fast, fun videos that shake up slow, bureaucratic systems. Others see MrBeast’s clickbait titles and overexposure on their feeds as a form of trespassing. Ongoing accusations of workplace harassment further sour his reputation. But love him or hate him, his domination of the algorithm means Gen Z is inevitably influenced by his content.
Through our discussions with Gen Z donors we’ve found that two uncontested assumptions promoted by MrBeast’s videos shape how young viewers connect the dots between need, money, and results. First, social change is fast and instantly visible and, second, more money means greater impact. Take, for example, a 2017 video where he gives an unhoused man $10,000. MrBeast identifies a need, persuades the unhoused man to accept a manila envelope stuffed with cash, and then asks him how he’ll use the money. The man says he intends to buy a car or moped.
Although MrBeast notes that he’ll later follow up with the man, for many viewers, the story of this gift ends with the good feeling of money reaching somebody in need. But it’s not clear or even questioned if an envelope of cash will effectively help the unhoused man in the way the video implies.
More recent videos such as “Changing the Lives of 600 Strangers” and “We Gave Away $1 Million of Toys” use a similar approach. Instead of featuring evidence of the long-term impact of MrBeast’s philanthropy, videos linger uncomfortably long over beneficiaries’ grateful reactions. Big money, in other words, leads to big emotions — not necessarily lasting benefits for those in need.
MrBeast’s videos teach viewers not to bother with concerns about the best way to support someone. Instead, they’re encouraged to embrace a video’s immediate sugar-high before hopscotching to the next highlight reel of generosity, grateful reactions, and perceived philanthropic impact.
A Challenge for Fundraisers
Where does all this leave fundraisers grappling with how to connect with Gen Z? Lacking the constant stream of shiny new content, they must focus on deepening Gen Z engagement with a nonprofit’s work to counteract the precedent set by MrBeast. Candid discussions with Gen Z donors about what money can do — and how fast it can do it — will help them gain a more nuanced understanding of philanthropy, rather than letting online personalities shape their views.
Here’s how fundraisers can more effectively work with an audience accustomed to MrBeast’s brand of clickbait philanthropy:
First, talking openly about what a nonprofit does and does not do will help determine if it’s the right fit for a Gen Z donor. For example, if a Gen Zer is interested in food insecurity but wants fast results, perhaps a food bank is the right match rather than an organization focused on long-term solutions to food deserts. Being upfront about how donations are used — without overselling potential results — also provides the transparency and behind-the-scenes feeling Gen Z gets from watching a Beast Philanthropy video.
Fundraisers should also discuss the ways in which philanthropic impact may not necessarily align with what Gen Z says it wants from philanthropy. For example, Gen Z may prefer to support causes rather than organizations, but fundraisers should explain why established nonprofits are often best situated to create cause-based social change. That also means organizations may need operational — not just programmatic — support to achieve the lasting results Gen Z donors want.
Second, fundraisers should ask Gen Zers how nonprofits can stay on their radar. That might boil down to simply being visibly active on the platforms they’re already scrolling. Fundraisers will likely need to re-evaluate their organization’s social media presence — or lack thereof — and enact a strategy that incorporates YouTube videos, TikTok, and Instagram Reels. Posts should be quick, attention-grabbing, and impact-oriented, but also prosocial — meaning they promote empathy and mutual understanding rather than division.
Finally, to avoid getting drowned out by the likes of MrBeast, fundraisers should regularly deploy email marketing campaigns or social media videos to show the impact of Gen Z’s contributions, just as MrBeast does. They could borrow another MrBeast strategy by featuring unscripted Gen Z testimonials on social media about what their dollars have accomplished. This gives Gen Zers a chance to articulate why they’re supporting a particular organization. It also reinforces their trust in the nonprofit while broadcasting that trust to their peers.
MrBeast deserves credit for the change he makes in the world, translating YouTube views into donations and promoting charitable organizations to his millions of subscribers. In a recent video, he even states that he’s “looking at long-term involvement” with some nonprofits.
In “Saving the World From Your Sofa,” MrBeast boasts that Beast Philanthropy brings greater visibility to the nonprofits featured in his videos. But fundraisers need to manage the outsize expectations Gen Z donors will have of those very organizations. They need to teach Gen Zers how to get off their sofas and onto the front lines of social change — where they clearly want to be.
