For most users, Twitter is a place to spot trends, see silly videos, and follow their favorite topics. This week, one user is putting the site to work for good causes.
Billionaire Bill Pulte is already considered the top philanthropist on Twitter, giving away thousands of dollars to users, and going out of his way to support good causes. His giving campaign skyrocketed this week when he tweeted an offer to President Donald Trump — and the president responded.
Like Trump, Pulte made his fortune in real estate. The billionaire has recently turned his attention to giving, focusing on Twitter as a venue for reviewing applications and finding worthy causes. Unlike many philanthropists, Pulte is offering to support individual needs, instead of filtering funds through a charity or a nonprofit, that would then make the decisions about which individuals benefitted from his generosity.
Using the hashtag #TwitterPhilanthropy, Pulte has been regularly supporting causes and initiatives created by individuals, improving lives and making a difference. This week, when he tweeted directly to President Trump, who responded within a few hours.
“If @realDonaldTrump retweets this, I will give $30,000 to a Veteran on Twitter. @Scavino45 @DanScavino,” Pulte tweeted.
Two hours later, President Trump did just that, exposing the philanthropist’s offer to millions of users and ensuring the veteran in question received the funds offered. President Trump’s response “Thank you Bill” was one of his shortest Tweets, but one that made a lasting impression on at least two users — the billionaire and the veteran who received the promised funds.
“I believe that the government should not be in the business, necessarily, of completely redistributing wealth. Right? We need the rich to be able to be benevolent and give back to people and do so in an immediate fashion,” Pulte said.
He went on to thank the President for getting involved and for spreading awareness of the growing philanthropy movement on Twitter.
“And what the president of the United States just did tonight was he just gave us that avenue in,” he said. “He, just, literally, punched a hole in reality and said, ‘We’re going to take philanthropy, and we’re going to move that online.’”
Twitter users are noticing, and the hashtag “Twitter Philanthropy Challenge” is trending, as is the original #TwitterPhilanthropy. Pulte recently added a video that talks more about his initiative and has promised to give away $100,000 for good causes over the course of the next few months. He challenged other users to spread the word and to make a difference for others.
For one veteran, the billionaire Twitter Philanthropist has already made a difference; the individual has yet to be selected, but Pulte is asking for simple video submission as an application; President Trump’s response ensures that all of Twitter will know about the offer and opportunities afforded by this growing campaign.
