Top honours for NFPs at the 2016 SIMNA Awards

NFPs have taken out the top honours in all three awarded categories of the Social Impact Measurement Network of Australia (SIMNA) Awards.

The winners were announced at the Think Outcomes conference in Melbourne on Tuesday night.

Simon Faivel, Chair of SIMNA said, “The winners of the SIMNA Awards 2016 have a lot to be proud of. Their commitment to transparency, accountability and rigour sets them apart from the competition and positions them as leaders in social impact measurement in Australia.”

The winners of the SIMNA Awards 2016 include:

• Excellence in Social Impact Measurement: The Smith Family
• Excellence in Collaboration: Youth Action NSW
• Best Newcomer to Social Impact Measurement: Connections UnitingCare

“We congratulate all the finalists and winners of the SIMNA Awards 2016 and look forward to having even more to celebrate for the next round of SIMNA Awards,” said Faivel.

The Smith Family won the award for its social impact measurement of Learning for Life, its long-term educational program for disadvantaged children in Australia.

“34,000 disadvantaged young Australians across the nation were being supported in their education through Learning for Life, with ongoing social impact measurement embedded into every aspect of the program,” said The Smith Family’s CEO Dr Lisa O’Brien.

“This award is a wonderful accolade and a testament to the rigor of our approach in measuring the efficacy of our Learning for Life program.

“Achieving positive change with highly disadvantaged young people requires careful and systematic work, with support needing to be targeted, flexible, responsive and long-term.”

O’Brien said The Smith Family is able to assess the program’s efficacy, to fully understand the factors contributing to its impact and to refine its approach as necessary.

“Social impact measurement supports our ability to be accountable for the results of our work, especially to our stakeholders groups, including families, volunteers and supporters,” O’Brien said.

“This is vital in an organisation whose work is supported financially by a range of stakeholders, including the Australian public, corporates, trusts and foundations and universities.

“The results of our social impact measurement confirm the effectiveness of our work and that disadvantaged children in Australia are achieving better educational outcomes as a result.”