Through a series of personal interviews with nearly 100 donors, this text offers a look at the world of elite philanthropy. It focuses on the New York City area, with its high concentration of affluent donors.

At the same time, Ostrower finds divergent patterns of giving that reflect alternative sources of donor identity, such as religion, ethnicity, and gender, and explains why certain kinds of donors are more or less likely to diverge from the prestige hierarchy of their class in their philanthropy.