Must Reads - The Price of Humanity
- Erica McWhorter
- Jul 29
- 5 min read
The Price of Humanity: How Philanthropy Went Wrong & How to Fix It
by Amy Schiller
"[T]he ideal manifestation of “love of humanity” – love of people’s ability to flourish in uniquely human ways, beyond their immediate life-and-death needs and their utility to others.” –p. 164
Table of Contents
First, Know This
What You Should Know
The Consultant's Cut
Want to Know More?
First, Know This
Logistics
Title: The Price of Humanity: How Philanthropy Went Wrong & How to Fix It
Author: Amy Schiller
Topics: Fundraising, Social Impact
Where to Find It: Bookshop.org
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)
The author argues that philanthropy has the ability to counter the power dynamics of capitalism and give us more opportunities to feel human.
Philanthropy’s potential is frequently thwarted by its misuse, including: service as a backstop for government failure to provide for basic human needs (which further exacerbates the privatization and unaffordability of basic and public goods); attempting to provide a false and insufficient counterweight to injustice, inequality, and worker exploitation; rooting philanthropic action in altruistic measurements of human suffering; and normalizing a “marketized” philanthropy that bases worthiness for support on economic utility and potential for future human labor.
These philanthropic ills can be undone by completely altering the role of philanthropy and returning it to its roots, which prioritizes humanity through philanthropy’s unique ability to protect intangible goods, help people flourish beyond labor and survival, create inclusive democratic, generous and luxurious spaces for everyone, and affirm people as people.
“Philanthropy should be used to off-set the ruthlessness of the market, which reserves dignity, ease, and comfort for those who can purchase them as commodities.” –p. 216
What You Should Know
The Big Idea
This book offers an alternative approach to philanthropy rooted in the love of humanity beyond humanity’s utility or value for the purpose of preserving and supporting collective ideals of humanity such as connection, beauty, comfort, play, dignity, spirituality, and joy, for all people.
Key Takeaways
Theme 1: The Original Promise vs. The Current Reality
Historically, philanthropy provided large public gifts (from ancient Rome to Carnegie's libraries) meant to elevate everyone’s quality of life, supplementing the government's duty to ensure basic survival.
Rationales for philanthropy vary and, when corrupted or taken to extremes, can have the effect of reducing people to the price of their suffering. This reinforces ideas that philanthropy should prioritize utilitarian outcomes and quantifiable “returns on investment,” which frame philanthropy or the love of humans as another market opportunity.
The new reality is that "big philanthropy" is often a direct result of government’s failure to collect and redistribute wealth, creating a "danger zone where the wealth and whims of a few determine the basic needs of the many." Demanding use of philanthropy as a reserve becomes a way to justify inequality, which threatens the legitimacy of philanthropy.
Theme 2: How Philanthropy Gets "Marketized"
Philanthropy has become entangled with the market, prioritizing quantifiable "returns on investment" and utilitarian outcomes.
When philanthropy centers solely on health and economic metrics it dangerously skews human value in terms of economic utility.
This follows the historical tradition of slavery, which established a system of pricing people according to the projected value of their labor—a staggering connection that was institutionalized in the slave and modern life insurance industries.
This creates a conflict where profit generated from exploitation is used to alleviate the suffering caused by that same exploitation.
Theme 3: The Path Forward: Thriving, Not Just Surviving
The path forward is built on a foundational principle: government and philanthropy are separate processes with distinct objectives. The book argues that re-establishing this boundary is the key to unlocking philanthropy’s true potential.
A historical concept called eugertism shows this principle in action. Eugertism concerns itself with the "commons" rather than basic survival, suggesting a clear division of labor: good governance provides targeted assistance for the poor, while private generosity focuses on collective thriving by funding "shared spaces and rituals that would provide benefits of pleasure and cultivation to all."
The core message is powerful and simple: Philanthropy is for thriving, not just surviving! Its true role is to offset the market's ruthlessness and protect intangible goods like dignity, ease, and comfort for everyone.
“The belief that individuals can fix the problems of mass capitalist consumption through further capitalist consumption, that somehow the market commodities we buy are a solution for poverty, a problem that has no profit motive, should read as obviously absurd.” –p. 39
The Consultant's Cut
What’s In It For You (WIIFY)
A subversive take on philanthropy using what we all know, see, and probably feel to make a critical and poignant case that philanthropy can do and be better for all. It will force you to look at philanthropy critically and with a humane and historical perspective. The book provides excellent cases and thoroughly enjoyable descriptions of philanthropy past, present, and options for the future. It also offers a nice encapsulation of the biggest and likely most influential structural changes and mindset shifts needed for better philanthropy. Ironically, it is richly satisfying.
Why It Gets My Nod
Amy is rebel. She names names. She confronts our attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs and shows us where we’ve been led astray, believed unquestioningly, or forgot our human value.
This book is challenging – for everybody. You will feel it if you are in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector and regularly engage, nurture, seek out, accommodate, or rely on big philanthropy. You will feel it if you are or have ever been of the mindset that philanthropy should be closing gaps, effectuating change, or addressing the most critical and timely of our current human suffering. You will feel it if you, as an individual donor whether by faith, character, or mere observation, felt led to contribute to a solution, react to a problem, or moved by personal gratification in knowing how many lives your donation saved or life-impacting products your donation produced. You will feel it if you ever fell prey to the marketplace of compassion where your decision making about your investment was influenced by narratives that forced suffering people to market their poverty and compete against others in similar condition.
Yes, it’s that intense, that studied, that real, and that clear on opportunities for transforming philanthropy and what we expect of it. It’s totally worth it because it is not merely an academic exercise or theory begging application.
From Page to Practice
I really loved this book. It was a good way to face my assumptions and think about how my advisory work can challenge the status quo and take a more human-centered approach.
For me this means:
Deepen the "Why." Before seeking a resource, I will dive deep into the "why" behind the need. There is no reason to perpetuate bad practices that further subjugate the people we are trying to help.
Diversify the Revenue. I will continue to think more expansively about revenue diversification. Large institutional funders are not the only ones who value a nonprofit's mission.
Champion Structural Change. I will find new ways to support advocates by educating clients about what they should expect from both philanthropy and good governance. This means empowering nonprofits to be confident and competent in pushing for the policy changes needed to realize their long-range visions.
“What the critics…missed is the way small gifts from ordinary citizens function. Their small gifts are expression of their values, consciously and freely chosen.” –p. 124
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