Hello readers. What is philanthropy?
Aside from being difficult to pronounce and more challenging to spell—it is the gold standard in the United States for humanitarian efforts. Philanthropy is giving to people, communities, organizations, or initiatives. Philanthropic gifts include time, resources, expertise, value, money, et cetera. Philanthropy is multifaceted and has different approaches and takeaways. A general understanding of philanthropy focuses on giving money, but it is far more profound.
Let's talk about it.
What’s to come?
The exploitative aspects of philanthropy, exemplified by MrBeast’s Beast Philanthropy channel.
The nuanced shades of helping others, as shown by Mark Laita’s Soft White Underbelly.
The role of meritocracy and marketing in determining who receives aid.
Concluding thoughts on navigating the ethical landscape of philanthropy and additional reading!
Philanthropy is an inherently exploitative approach to helping others. It assumes one party has the time, resources, expertise, and money that another party needs. The degree of exploitation depends on the nature of someone's intentions. Exploitative is used to describe an imbalance where one party uses the needs or conditions of another to serve a particular purpose.
For example, Jimmy Donaldson, the 25-year-old well-known YouTuber MrBeast, who boasts 198 million subscribers, operates a distinct channel dedicated to philanthropic fundraisers named Beast Philanthropy, which has 12.5 million subscribers. He is collaborating with CURE International, a Christian nonprofit network of children's hospitals that provide free surgical care to children living with disabilities using globally sourced donations. He produces the content for his fundraisers through Beast Philanthropy Productions, LLC, and all revenue is donated to MrCharity, Inc. dba Beast Philanthropy. For this specific video advocating for CURE International, his content is sponsored by Talking Tom & Friends.
If you watch the video or look at CURE International Children's Hospital fundraiser, it showcases children with their names and medical disabilities. It builds a narrative for different children and how the faculty interacts and cares for them individually and on the whole. It is inherently exploitive with positive intentions and sponsored by an outside party.
Key Takeaways
MrBeast's Beast Philanthropy contributes immensely to philanthropic efforts and causes with subtle shades of exploitation and sponsorship.
MrBeast isn't taking unfair advantage of people but showcasing sensitive information about children to garner philanthropic aid for life-changing surgery.
Philanthropy isn't black and white. Helping people is multifaceted and often exists in shades of grey. Philanthropy does not have a silver bullet approach. It requires a specific focus on specific people, communities, and localized issues. Philanthropy is not effective with broad approaches but finely focused ones. Subtle philanthropy refers to the nuanced, often complex dimensions of philanthropic actions that aren’t easily categorized as purely good or bad.
For example, Mark Laita shares interview portraits of individuals on his YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly based in California, which has amassed 5.02 million subscribers. Mark's approach to philanthropy is touched upon in an half-hour interview. He expertly explains the subtly positive aspects of exploitation. He excludes his face, vision, and insight from his interviews with people. Outside of Soft White Underbelly, he is constantly engaged and giving his time, resources, and money to the people he interviews. Admitting that walking skid row, losing people to substance abuse, and putting up with street hustlers takes a mental toll.
Some of his favorite or meaningful interviews and playlists are listed:
Key Takeaways
Soft White Underbelly showcases sensitive and vulnerable portraits of people in their whole form through video interviews.
Philanthropy doesn't have to be financially driven. Mark approaches it with selflessness and humility, highlighting people, not causes or initiatives.
Philanthropy doesn't exist in a fair world. In the context of philanthropy, meritocracy refers to the idea that resources should be allocated based on the severity of need. Those most in need should be given larger shares of aid or relief. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Marketing plays a significant role in who receives philanthropic support. Branding is vital in finding funding and resources worldwide to support a cause financially. Our campaign utilized family, friends, and Saint Leo University's student body and faculty to support our cause.
In Uganda, clinician Wefwafwa Andrew requested that all funds from our campaign be allocated toward purchasing a microscope for his community. We incorporated branding and storytelling elements derived from Wefwafwa's culture and professional experience as a clinician to resonate with our audience. Consequently, they contributed funds aiding in achieving our collective goal. All philanthropic campaigns carry a subtle exploitative aspect. Showcasing the story of a consenting individual in need encourages people to donate.
Without effective marketing, many communities in need remain unseen. Wefwafwa's community gained visibility when he started a YouTube channel to advocate for their needs, which is how our university discovered him. Similarly, there are countless communities worldwide that remain invisible. While marketing can be subtly exploitative, it also contributes to bringing exposure and aid to these communities.
Key Takeaways
Had we not effectively marketed his work and experience, we might not have raised enough funds to acquire the first microscope for his community.
Every philanthropic effort carries some subtle aspect of exploitation that contributes to the greater good.
Philanthropy offers opportunities to help people, communities, and causes but suffers from subtle exploitative aspects. As an individual, approach philanthropic efforts with kindness and cultural sensitivity. The underlying thread that connects all of us isn't meant to be exploited. Still, if it brings greater good through transparent, community-led, non-incentivized initiatives, then perhaps it's worth tapping into to promote subtle change.
But one of the biggest myths about philanthropy is that it only refers to the giving of enormous sums of money by wealthy donors—the bigger the better. This myth is somewhat understandable: Large gifts garner the most public attention. —Faculty of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi says in her powerful TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story, “the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” Single stories lead to assumptions, and assumptions lead to actions, and those actions have consequences. —Caliopy Glaros
It is also possible that some sources or forms of funding might have the same effect as acid rain – stripping the foliage and poisoning the soil, limiting its capacity to produce positive social change. —Louise Hallman
Philanthropy and charitable giving are on the same spectrum, but there are subtle yet key differences. One of those distinctions sits with the individual’s motivations. —Paul Beale & Justine Howard
It (philanthropy) regularly thumps itself on the back, for instance, for devoting some $300 billion a year to good causes. —William A. Schambra
Explore engaging content by Wefwafwa Andrew, thoughtfully curated by Rex Soderlund, to ensure a rich and enlightening experience for our audience.
The Liger serves as a cultural bridge, connecting you with the insights of a trusted clinician in Uganda. We enhance this connection each week by sharing new content that brings you closer to his experiential perspective.
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