January 12 | 7 pm – 8:15 pm | ZOOM

Facilitator: Rev. Brian Roberts, Executive Director of the Stewardship Foundation  

Special Guest: Dr. Femida Handy of the University of Pennsylvania  

What does it mean to be generous? Can giving make you happier and healthier? In this one-session workshop, we will welcome a special guest, Dr. Femida Handy, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Together we’ll explore the facets of generosity by looking closely at the meanings, traits, and motivations behind giving behaviors across communities and cultures. Then, we will discuss how generosity contributes to our happiness and well-being as well as the happiness and well-being of our loved ones, our local communities, and our global society.

Special Guest: Dr. Femida Handy, PhD 

Dr. Handy is a Professor and Director in the Social Welfare Program in the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research areas are social innovation, philanthropy, and nonprofit management.  

This workshop will consist of a question-and-answer session with Dr. Handy, rather than the typical workshop format.  

Pre-work: Review the national findings and initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on volunteering, donation, and other prosocial behavior trends from 2020 through 2021 in this document, Generosity Trends and Impact Prior to and during COVID-19 in the USA.

(You may also choose to take the free UPenn online course developed and taught by Dr. Handy: "The Science of Generosity." Note: The course is free unless you want a certificate for $49)

This workshop is recommended for members of the finance committee, stewardship team, church council, the pastor, and those interested in the science of generosity.