Measuring our impact
In 2024, Outlook set an ambitious goal: to increase our social impact tenfold by 2030.
Social impact is the positive change created for people, communities and the environment through our work. It helps us understand the difference we are making and how we can continue to strengthen that impact over time.
The first step towards achieving this goal was the development of an Impact Measurement Framework. This framework gives Outlook a clear way to establish a baseline, measure progress and report on our impact each year.
To support this work, Outlook partnered with specialist social impact and sustainability consultants, Think Impact. Together, we built a strong foundation for measuring, understanding and communicating the impact of our work as we move towards our 2030 strategic goals.
To help measure our progress towards SP2030, Outlook Australia partnered with Think Impact to develop a fit-for-purpose Impact Measurement Framework.
This work helped us move beyond measuring activity, funding or service hours, and create a more meaningful way to understand the change experienced by the people we support, employ and work alongside.
Together, we developed the Impact Unit, an innovative way to measure social value at an individual level. Impact Units consider a combination of how many people experienced change, how much change they experienced, how important that change was to them, and the role Outlook played in creating that change.
Think Impact also supported Outlook to develop practical tools to measure impact over time, including surveys, feedback methods, stakeholder engagement approaches and reporting tools. These tools help us collect both data and stories, so we can understand not only where our impact is growing, but how meaningful that impact is for the people who experience it.
This gives Outlook a consistent, independent and comparable way to track progress towards our goal of increasing social impact tenfold by 2030.
Our Impact Measurement Framework fact sheet provides a simple overview of how Outlook measures social impact, why the framework was created, and how we will track progress towards our goal of increasing impact tenfold by 2030. It explains our baseline, the key outcomes we measure, the tools we use to gather feedback, and how Impact Units help us understand the change experienced by the people connected to Outlook.
It also outlines how staff, customers, clients and carers contribute to the process through surveys, informal discussions and feedback each year.
Click here to view and share the fact sheet.
Outlook’s Impact Measurement Framework goes beyond traditional measures such as funding, service hours, program numbers or financial outcomes.
Instead, it measures social impact at the level where it is actually experienced: by the individual stakeholder.
Our model looks at both the quantity of impact and the value of that impact. It considers how many people experience change, how much change they experience, how important that change is to them, and the role Outlook played in creating it.
This gives us a more meaningful picture of impact. Rather than only asking, “How much did we deliver?”, we can also ask, “What changed for people, and how much did that change matter to them?”
By combining these elements into Impact Units, Outlook can track and compare social value over time across very different parts of the organisation, while keeping the experiences of people at the centre of the measurement.
Towards 2030; Tracking our impact
In 2024, Outlook Australia set an ambitious goal: to increase our social impact tenfold by 2030. Our first year of measurement shows strong early progress, with Year 1 impact lifting significantly following growth in services across Australia, achieving a 3.8x growth in impact.
Personal wellbeing continued to be the largest contributor to Outlook’s social impact. The results also showed a noticeable shift in the share of impact created through belonging and skills, helping us better understand where our work is creating change for people, families, communities and the environment.
Impact was generated across both Outlook divisions, with a significant contribution from Community Services and our CHSP services. This reflects the growing reach of our aged care, disability and social enterprise work, and the different ways Outlook supports people to feel connected, capable and valued.
The quality of impact increased across nearly all stakeholder groups. Priority workforce participants reported strong outcomes around meaningful work, friendship, increased job responsibilities, being themselves at work and feeling cared for.
Care-based customers also reported positive outcomes. Among aged care customers, 78% said they felt relieved knowing they had access to the right care and supports, and 78% said they felt happier because of Outlook’s care and supports. Disability care customers also reported increased happiness, connection and relief from having the right supports in place.
Year 1 also showed that Outlook’s impact extends beyond the people we support directly. Families and carers reported more time for their own wellbeing, improved household dynamics and stronger relationships with the person receiving support.
Looking ahead, Outlook will continue increasing impact through both volume and quality. This includes continued growth in CHSP customers, increases in disability customers across Victoria and New South Wales, the development of Outlook Academy, and a focus on higher value supports and services that create stronger outcomes.
Collecting data now – check back soon for results!
Towards our 2030 goal;
By 2030 we are a thriving, sustainable organisation recognised as Australia’s exemplar for inclusion. We have achieved a 10x increase in our impact and we are the supplier, partner and employer of choice in our industries.
Check back soon for results!
Towards our 2030 goal;
By 2030 we are a thriving, sustainable organisation recognised as Australia’s exemplar for inclusion. We have achieved a 10x increase in our impact and we are the supplier, partner and employer of choice in our industries.
Check back soon for results!
Towards our 2030 goal;
By 2030 we are a thriving, sustainable organisation recognised as Australia’s exemplar for inclusion. We have achieved a 10x increase in our impact and we are the supplier, partner and employer of choice in our industries.
Check back soon for results!
Towards our 2030 goal;
By 2030 we are a thriving, sustainable organisation recognised as Australia’s exemplar for inclusion. We have achieved a 10x increase in our impact and we are the supplier, partner and employer of choice in our industries.
Check back soon for results!