Join us for a lively conversation with applied behavioral economist Syon Bhanot. Syon's wide-ranging research includes the psychological and social dynamics of sharing, collaboration, and how people negotiate self-interest while serving the needs of others--all topics that strike at the heart of fiscal sponsorship as a model of shared, or commonized nonprofit resources. A leader in his field, Syon is faculty at Swarthmore College, an independent consultant, and a researcher with numerous centers, including the Applied Cooperation Team at MIT.

The wealth of appliable knowledge held by the behavioral sciences field remains vastly underleveraged by the nonprofit community. The field was founded about 50 years ago as a critique of classical economics that idealizes human behavior in ways that don't reflect the real messiness of being human. Behavioral sciences examines how people act in real social situations, in part to figure out how to encourage more healthy and pro-social behaviors. Syon will offer an overview of some key concepts and learnings of the field and engage in a conversation about potential applications to fiscal sponsorship.

Bring your questions! Here are a few of ours:

* How might we encourage more collaboration and participation among our community of projects?

* How does language and framing affect the nature of our relationships with projects?

* How might we strengthen the social ties and trust with and among sponsored projects?

* How can we better navigate the transition from volunteer to paid work as grassroots projects grow?

This is a community member event. Sign up here for free!