I don't have a lot of money. I have been unemployed for more than 1.5 years and I am already spending a lot of my parents' money to set up a small business. Still, I really want to support it. I will try to give like 5 dollars or so, just as a show of support.
Of course, he must've gotten a sense of accomplishment from this.
When I contribute to an open source project I get the same feeling too. I can even brag about it during interviews. But, It's not why I do it. I learnt a lot from open source projects and I am just paying it forward. What I got from these projects is more than what I am able to contribute to.
But, Life is not a zero-sum game. We don't have to do things in exact proportions. That would make it a business transaction. Bob Ross definitely gave a lot to his viewers. In my eyes, that makes him a hero.
I see this as win-win. No mosquitoes and many cats.