In 2012, Markiplier raised $1,000 in a 24-hour charity stream; six years later, one unusual calendar project alone generated $500,000 for cancer research

Mark Fischbach, better known online as Markiplier, was still building his YouTube audience when he first discovered how much his platform could do for charity. In July 2012, he had around 2,000 subscribers when he decided to game for 24 hours and raise $1,000 for Child’s Play. He reached the target and saw how his small but growing community could come together for a cause. Six years later, a much larger audience would help him raise an extraordinary amount for cancer research.In Feb. 2013, Markiplier raised $8,047 for the Cancer Research Institute through a gaming livestream. His connection to the cause was also personal. His father had been diagnosed with lung cancer during Mark’s senior year of high school and died shortly afterward. By March 2018, Markiplier had reached a new milestone with more than 20 million subscribers. To celebrate, he followed through on a promise and created an unusual calendar that raised $500,000 for CRI in just two days.Markiplier started with a $1,000 charity goal when he had around 2,000 subscribersMarkiplier's first major charity stream came when his YouTube career was still in its early stages. In July 2012, he had around 2,000 subscribers. He decided to play games for 24 hours and set a $1,000 fundraising goal for Child’s Play.The challenge gave Mark an early look at what his audience could accomplish when it came together for a charitable cause. He reached the $1,000 target and continued to build his channel after the fundraiser.His charity work soon became bigger. In February 2013, Markiplier held another gaming livestream and raised $8,047 for the Cancer Research Institute. The fundraiser took less than nine hours.Cancer research had a personal connection for Mark. His father had been diagnosed with lung cancer while Mark was in his senior year of high school. He died shortly afterward.“It’s one of the hardest things anyone can go through,” Mark later told CRI.That experience stayed with him as his online audience grew. Mark also wanted his charity work to encourage other people to support causes they cared about. In his interview with CRI, he said, “You don’t have to be a career YouTuber to do this.”His early fundraising efforts showed the potential of that idea. A 24-hour stream that started with a $1,000 target had become a much larger charitable platform within a few years. Markiplier’s 20 million subscriber milestone led to an unusual calendar projectBy March 2018, Markiplier's YouTube following was nearing 20 million subscribers. He had previously said that reaching the milestone would call for something more unusual than the gaming videos, sketches and challenges his fans knew him for.His idea was a calendar.Mark created a calendar featuring himself nude poses. The project carried the tongue-in-cheek name “Tasteful Nudes” and kept the presentation humorous and PG-13. He sold the calendar through his online shop and donated the proceeds to the Cancer Research Institute.The response was far beyond a typical merchandise project. CRI reported that the calendar campaign raised nearly $500,000 in donations in just two days. The institute's supporter page records the amount as $500,000.The fundraiser showed just how much Markiplier's audience had grown since his first charity stream. In 2012, about 2,000 subscribers helped him reach a $1,000 target. In 2018, his audience had grown to more than 20 million subscribers, and a single unusual charity project generated $500,000 for cancer research.Mark also had to sign a large number of calendars for supporters. CRI even referred to the “pain of signing all those calendars” when it spoke about the fundraiser.The project worked because it matched Markiplier's personality while keeping the focus on the charity. He used an unusual idea to capture his audience's attention and direct the resulting support toward cancer research.Markiplier’s personal connection to cancer shaped his support for CRIThe $500,000 fundraiser was not Markiplier's first time supporting the Cancer Research Institute. His 2013 livestream had already raised more than $8,000 for the organisation.His family's experience with cancer gave the cause a personal meaning. Mark had lost his father to lung cancer years before his YouTube career reached its later heights.When discussing cancer research, Mark acknowledged how difficult the disease can be while also expressing hope for future progress.“I don’t think we’re going to cure cancer anytime soon,” he said, “but the only way we’re ever going to get there is to keep working toward it.”Mark also took care when choosing charities for his fundraising efforts. According to CRI, he checked charity ratings through Charity Navigator and reviewed financial information to see how organisations used donations. At the time, he noted that CRI had received four out of four stars from Charity Navigator.His approach went beyond simply asking millions of followers to donate. Mark wanted to understand the organisations he supported and encourage his audience to become involved in causes that mattered to them.By the time CRI profiled him in January 2019, Markiplier had raised more than $3 million for charities through his online fundraising efforts.The journey from his first $1,000 charity stream in 2012 to the $500,000 calendar fundraiser in 2018 showed how quickly his charitable reach had expanded. What began with a small gaming community eventually became a fundraising platform capable of generating hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research.In Markiplier's case, the growth of his audience created an opportunity to do more than entertain. It gave him a way to turn the support of millions of fans into real contributions toward causes that carried a deeply personal meaning for him.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.