Karl Zinsmeister, vice president of publications for the Philanthropy Roundtable, was editor in chief of The American Enterprise from 1994 to 2006, and then George W. Bush’s chief domestic policy adviser. Earlier, he was a history major and a national champion rower at Yale. He has written 13 books, including The Almanac of American Philanthropy, and now lives on a houseboat with his wife: They have three children and three grandchildren.

A New York moment:

Last year I wrote a profile of a Jewish philanthropist here in Manhattan who gives millions of dollars to Christian mission hospitals in Africa. Mark Gerson considers these mission hospitals to be doing high-quality healthcare for a bargain price, so he believes he’s making a smart philanthropic investment and having a massive impact on African health in the process. 

We all have our favorites. Whether we’re talking about restaurants, college football teams, preachers, vacation resort sites, math teachers, novels, hospitals, or classical music composers, it’s just human nature—when someone mentions a particular category—for the rest of us to respond by naming our top choices, preferences, or loyalties.