arouqa

There needs to be a sense of shared purpose.

I would think the easiest way would be to start a religious sect, as this would give you non-monetary legitimacy, akin to a modern day Mandate of Heaven or Divine Right of Kings.

Or if religion isn't your flavor, then some type of philosophical/political/national organization. However, I think it works better with religion because of the afterlife component.

It would also be best to get your followers when they're young. So perhaps start an educational fund that helps underprivileged families, with one of the requirements being to study your organization's ideology. Even better would be to fund multiple orphanages and have them run by members of your sect.

In the past, they would have founded their own nation with a personal army by now.

But how much money would you need to spend to keep the world out of trouble?

Especially if you don't have any political clout or an army to back it up.

Would donating $5 million really help in some catastrophic event? Especially when compared to the multi-billions that nations spend each year?

I remember reading that the majority of government officials in China are either scientists or engineers.

Would be very intriguing to see this play out in a democratic society.