Measuring our impact
See how we measure change for people and communities and improve the ways we work.
Understanding the difference we make
At Mission Australia, we meet people as they are. We provide many services and supports because everyone’s story is different. So are their needs.
We support over 160,000 people every year. That's a big job, but we have a responsibility to help people and communities create real change. We also want our supporters to know their donations and support are making a difference.
That’s why we measure the impact of everything we do.
We measure impact to
How we measure impact
Good outcomes are about more than money. We know close to 90% of donations we receive go directly to funding frontline services, but the best sign of success is change in people’s lives.
We show this change by measuring outcomes through impact measurement, rapid program reviews and regular evaluations. This helps us understand and demonstrate our impact at an individual, service, regional and national level.
The five areas we measure
Measuring these outcomes shows where we’re making a difference, and where we can do more.
Stable housing
Health and wellbeing
Support and connection
Choice, control and independence
Stronger community
Our approach to using evidence and insights
We don’t just collect data, we use it to help create real, lasting change.
Our process, called Evidence to Action, helps our teams learn what works, improve what doesn’t, and deliver better support for people and communities. By analysing data and feedback, we’re able to strengthen our services and make informed decisions.
Evidence to Action helps us:
- Understand what’s working and where we can do better
Test new ideas and adapt quickly
Make better decisions using insights from our services
Reflect and improve over time
We also share what we learn with our supporters, partners and government so together, we can shape better systems and deliver greater impact.
Measuring the impact of outreach in Cairns
Going Places – Street to Home is a mobile outreach service in Cairns that supports people who have been sleeping rough long term. Going Places builds trust by meeting people where they are, no clinics or offices needed.
Case managers noticed that this lack of trust also prevented people from accessing medical support, often worsening their health. In response, Mission Australia and the Queensland Government trialled a new approach: sending nurses into the community to offer care on the street. This helped build trust, improve access to healthcare, and demonstrate the value of mobile outreach as a model for better outcomes.
Discover how mobile outreach and nursing care helped people sleeping rough in Cairns improve their health and move into safe, stable housing.
