Femida Handy, PhD

Handy, F. & Russell, A*. (2018) Ethical–decision making for social impact. London, U.K.:  Palgrave Macmillan

This book outlines the various elements involved in ethical decision-making for nonprofit leaders, and whose rights to prioritize when facing complex situations. Nonprofit board members and employees are often placed in difficult situations, with no single stakeholder and an allegiance to mission statements whose outcomes can be difficult to measure. While nonprofit charitable organizations are generally considered more trustworthy than their counterparts in the public or for-profit sector, when scandals and wrongdoings are uncovered, they must be dealt with in ethical ways. Through a case study approach, this book delivers clear ethical decision-making frameworks and promotes robust reflection on how to arrive at different decision points and throw light on elements that are often ignored or assumed. Ultimately, it offers students, researchers, and managers a practical approach to the ambiguous question, what is the ethical way?

Kassam, M., Handy, F., & Janson, E*. (2016). Philanthropy in India: Practice and Promise. New Delhi: Sage

Philanthropy has a very long tradition in India. All practicing religions embody the idea of philanthropy and the concept of daanworks across religions and cultures. This book provides unique sociological and empirical perspectives, contrasting what is happening in India vis-á-vis other countries. It documents various government policies that have influenced philanthropy and identifies successful strategies practiced by the general population as well as organizations.
Through case studies, narratives and interviews of philanthropists, the book examines various modes of giving—formal and informal, religious and secular, charitable trusts and foundations, NGOs and corporates, diaspora as well as social media platforms—that shape the practice and promise of philanthropy in India today.

Wiepking, P. & Handy, F., (Eds.) (2016) The Palgrave Handbook on Global Philanthropy. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan

2016 Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Book Prize

is a comprehensive reference guide to the practice of philanthropy across twenty-six nations and regions. In addition, thematic chapters examine cross-national issues to provide an indispensable guide to the latest research in this field. Drawing on theoretical insights from sociology, economics, political science, and psychology, and including a stellar international line-up of leading philanthropy scholars, this reference work describes the non-profit sector and analyzes philanthropic endeavors country by country, providing a global overview that covers Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and the Americas. In addition, it examine cross-national issues, including the social origins of the non-profit sector and charitable giving; the influence of government support; the role of religion; fiscal incentives; and fundraising to outline how major country-specific differences in governmental, economic, and legal policies for philanthropic actors and nonprofit organizations shape philanthropic giving, demonstrating how country-specific factors may facilitate or inhibit charitable giving.

Handy, F., Kassam, M., Ingold, J*. & Ranade, B. (2011). From Seva to cyberspace: The changing face of volunteering in India. New Delhi: Sage

From Seva to Cyberspace examines the phenomenon of volunteering in India from its earliest instances to present-day manifestations. Tracing the origins of voluntary action in India, the authors examine the historic, religious, and cultural traditions of Seva (direct service to others) that have played an important role in inspiring Indians toward voluntary action.

The book defines the volunteer and discusses the methods of measuring the value of volunteer labor to NGOs. It includes a detailed discussion of the particular contributions of the oldest and youngest volunteers in India. The distinctive motivations and contributions of those with a religious inspiration for voluntary action are explored at length, as are the important issues of service clubs and corporate support for volunteer activities. It is enriched with narratives and case studies of individuals and organizations that throw light on specific aspects of volunteerism in the Indian context.

Handy, F., & Carpenter, C. (2010). Sandy’s incredible shrinking footprint. Toronto, ON: Second Story Press

Also, published in French (2012): L’incroyable empreinte de Sabline Bayard Presse, Canada; Dutch: De geheimzinnge voetafdruk Vries-Brouwers, Uitgeverij C, Nederlands (2012) and Korean (2011) Hanulim Press, Seoul, South Korea

A young girl learns that her footprint is more than the mark she leaves in the sand in this eco-conscious picture book for budding young environmentalists. Sandy loves visiting her grandpa’s house by the beach every summer. She plays in the sand while her dog, Pepper, chases the seagulls. But this day her walk on the beach is ruined by a pile of garbage. Why would someone dirty her beautiful beach? The arrival of the “Garbage Lady” inspires her, as she explains to Sandy that everyone has an ecological footprint – the mark they leave on the world – and that it is their responsibility to shrink it.

HANDY, F. & BUNCH, M. (EDS.) (2009). SENSE AND SUSTAINABILITY: INTEGRATING KNOWLEDGE IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES. TORONTO, ON: YORK UNIVERSITY BOOKS.

In 1968, Gerry Carrothers, the first Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) at York University, arrived in Toronto from the University of Pennsylvania to establish FES. FES was the first school ever to offer a Master of Environmental Studies degree. FES had an orientation to interdisciplinarity and individualized learning, a radical departure from the standard academic setting. This edited book presents a thin slice of the research at FES done collaboratively with faculty and students. It includes an analysis of the urban and natural environment in and around Toronto. The next section of papers in the volume goes beyond our immediate backyard. It includes questions of community building, environmental governance, and the ecology of the sacred relationships between indigenous peoples and the landscape. Other papers examine whether postmodernism is undermining feminist and antiracism movements. This section includes studies that shift the focus to other locales in North America and then to global issues involving using eco-feminist theory to study gender, race, and class aspects in participatory water management programs in Brazil, as well as issues of public disclosure of hydrocarbon spill data for four countries: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We invite the reader to peruse these research endeavors to get a better picture of the research that has made FES a vibrant setting for interdisciplinary research and action over the last fifty years.

HANDY, F., KASSAM, M., FEENEY, S., & RANADE, B. (2006). GRASS-ROOTS NGOS BY WOMEN FOR WOMEN: THE DRIVING FORCE OF DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA.NEW DELHI: SAGE.

Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this book provides an in-depth understanding of why Indian NGOs run by women for women, tend to be successful. Based on first-hand observations spanning five years and interviews with 20 founders of NGOs, this book explores the factors that motivate and facilitate women entrepreneurship in the development sector. It examines the organizational structures that have evolved based on feminist ideology and the services provided (e.g. self-help groups and micro-finance). The authors also discuss the social impact of these NGOs in promoting both development and women’s empowerment. They show how small NGOs are particularly effective in garnering support from the grass-roots and in tapping the knowledge base of local communities. Overall, the authors find that women entrepreneurs act as facilitators with a unique leadership style and that they encourage community-based movements grounded in local issues. As a result, these NGOs are successfully changing the landscape of rural poverty in India while ushering in sustainable development.

Marrese, T*., Greenspan, I., Katz-Gerro, T., & Handy, F. (In Press). Do Grandparents’ Environmental Behaviors Influence Grandchildren? Intergenerational Transmission of Pro-environmental Behavior. Sociological Spectrum

Konrath, S., Handy, F., Wright, S., F, Griffith K. & Jagsi, R., (In Press). How individuals’ health and wealth are associated with their donation behavior and motivations? Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing.

Russell*, A.R., Dixit V., & Handy, F. (In Press). Microfinance through the Self-Help Group-Bank Linkage Programme: Impact on Ancillary Employment Canadian Journal of Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/02255189.2023.2192909

Choi*, D., Ferris*, A., Marrese*, T., Cnaan, R., & Handy., F. (In press) The Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Recruitment and Retention of Volunteers and Donors in the U.S. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership, & Governance

Russell*, A.R., Boen, C.E., & Handy, F. (2023). Does retirement from volunteering impact well-being? A longitudinal analysis using National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project Data. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. 52(5), 1357–1385

Sealey, A., & Handy, F. (2023). Voluntary Sector Participation and Support for Redistribution: Evidence from 18 Advanced Industrial Democracies (1990-2013). Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. 52(2), 370–396

Cicchelli, V.; Octobre, S.; Katz-Gerro, T.; Yodovich, N.; Handy, F., & Ruiz, * A. S. (2023). “Because we all love K-Pop”: How young adults reshape symbolic boundaries in Paris, Manchester, and Philadelphia. British Journal of Sociology 74(1), 17-34

Shier, M.L., Handy, F., & Turpin*, A. (2022). Measuring a nonprofit’s civic footprint. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 33(5), 990–1001

Russell*, A.R., Storti, M.H., & Handy, F. (2022). Voluntary service and well-being in retirement: Evidence from the experiences of hospital volunteers. International Journal of Community Wellbeing 5 (2) 475–495

Handy, F., & Sealey, A. (2022). Voluntary Sector Participation and Individual Health and Welfare: Does it Matter Where? Social Science Quarterly; 103 (3), 471–493

Greenspan, I., Katz-Gerro, T., Handy, F., & Park*, S. (2022). Intergenerational transmission of environmental household practices among South Korean families: Continuity and Change. Families, Relationships and Societies 11(1), 101-125

Ruiz*, A.S, Wang, L., & Handy, F. (2021). Integration and volunteering: The case of first-generation immigrants to Canada. Voluntary Sector Review.1-17.

Turpin, A*., Shier, M. L., & Handy, F. (2021). Factors shaping public perceptions of market-based activities by Charities in Canada. Nonprofit Policy Forum. 12(4), 505-533

Cicchelli, V., Octobre S., Riegel, V., Katz-Gerro, T., & Handy, F. (2021). A Tale of Three Cities: Aesthetico-cultural cosmopolitanism as a new capital among youth in Paris, São Paulo, and Seoul. Journal of Consumer Culture. 21(3), 576-597.

Wiepking, P., Handy, F. et al. (2021) Global Philanthropy: Does Institutional Context Matter for Charitable Giving? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. 35(2), 533–540.

Handy, F., Katz-Gerro, T Greenspan, I., & Verad, Y*. (2021). Intergenerational disenchantment? Motivations for environmental behaviors across generations in South Korea. GEOFORUM 121 May, 53–64.

Konrath, S. & Handy F. (2021). The Good-looking Giver Effect: The Relationship Between Doing Good and Looking Good. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 50(2), 283–311.

• Featured as Doing good may make people look better
• The Conversation.com https://theconversation.com/doing-good-may-make-people-look-better-146826

Russell, A*., Kim, E., Gellis, Z., & Handy, F. (2020). Formal vs. Informal Volunteering and Well-Being: Does Volunteering Type Matter for Older Adults? Voluntary Sector Review, 11(3), 317-336.

Farwell, M*., & Handy, F. (2020). Putting the ‘community’ in community-based funding for human services: Recruitment, motivation, and role negotiation of granting committees. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration. 43(4), 420-444

Katz-Gerro, T.; Greenspan, I. & Handy, F., & Verad, Y* (2020). Environmental behavior in three