Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Annual Impact Report 2023 24
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Message from the Chairman and the CEO
In 2023–24, rising cost-of-living pressures deepened hardship for many Australian families, impacting children’s education. Disadvantaged students face worsening mental health, academic struggles, and shifting family attitudes. Despite teachers’ efforts, educational gaps persist, with nearly one in three students not meeting literacy and numeracy benchmarks.
The Smith Family expanded its reach, supporting 67,165 Learning for Life students, up from 62,822. We improved program effectiveness, providing self-service tools for families and refining support strategies. Data-sharing agreements with education departments in SA, WA, QLD, and TAS are enhancing targeted student support.
We invested in digital transformation, automation, and cybersecurity, launching a Security Operations Centre. Despite economic uncertainty, our fundraising remained resilient, with $144.6 million contributed. Strategic investments in operations, fundraising, and governance ensure sustainability.
Cultural initiatives strengthened our workplace, alongside a new DEI Strategy. We advanced child safety by reviewing safeguarding policies and amplifying children’s voices. Our Reconciliation Action Plan increased support for Indigenous students, now 25.2% of Learning for Life participants.
We are deeply grateful to our supporters, donors, partners, and team members for their dedication to helping children overcome educational disadvantage and build brighter futures.
Nicholas Moore AO, Chairman
Doug Taylor, Chief Executive Officer
The Smith Family expanded its reach, supporting 67,165 Learning for Life students, up from 62,822. We improved program effectiveness, providing self-service tools for families and refining support strategies. Data-sharing agreements with education departments in SA, WA, QLD, and TAS are enhancing targeted student support.
We invested in digital transformation, automation, and cybersecurity, launching a Security Operations Centre. Despite economic uncertainty, our fundraising remained resilient, with $144.6 million contributed. Strategic investments in operations, fundraising, and governance ensure sustainability.
Cultural initiatives strengthened our workplace, alongside a new DEI Strategy. We advanced child safety by reviewing safeguarding policies and amplifying children’s voices. Our Reconciliation Action Plan increased support for Indigenous students, now 25.2% of Learning for Life participants.
We are deeply grateful to our supporters, donors, partners, and team members for their dedication to helping children overcome educational disadvantage and build brighter futures.
Nicholas Moore AO, Chairman
Doug Taylor, Chief Executive Officer
Students in our Learning for Life program face complex and cumulative challenges:
All live in low-income families.
More than half live in a single-parent family.
Around one-third of students and a similar proportion of parents or carers have a disability or health issue.
About half have a parent or carer who didn’t finish Year 12 or equivalent.
Around three-quarters have a parent or carer who is not in paid employment.
30% of school-aged Learning for Life students do not have a laptop or tablet.
Compounding effects of disadvantage
The risk factors that can lead to educational disadvantage can begin in a child’s early years and continue throughout their school lives. This cycle shows that the contributors to disadvantage are complex, and without the right support at the right time the effects can be long term and intergenerational.
Impact in action
Amelia has the world at her feet thanks to you
Today Amelia has the world at her feet thanks to you.
Amelia had a happy childhood but money was always tight. “I grew up in public housing in regional Victoria with my single mum and twin sister,” she says. “I was very aware of the financial situation my family was in.”.
student2student helped Amelia develop her reading skills so that she can advance through her reading levels and excel at school.
student2student really helped me develop my reading skills. I could then advance through the reading levels at school.
Our five year strategy
We will deepen our impact and empower young Australians experiencing disadvantage to create a better future for themselves. To do this, we will use personalised, evidence-based practice, data and digital. We are committed to growing the number of Learning for Life scholarship recipients to 100,000 and expanding our programs to reach 250,000 children and young people.
Our goals to improve student outcomes measured by:
Attendance at school
Advancement through school from Year 10 to completion of Year 12 or equivalent
Tertiary completion
Engagement in study or work post-school
Our highlights from 2023-24
Deeper impact
- Strengthen impact in Learning for Life : We entered into data exchange agreements with the education departments of Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland to give frontline team members access to vital real-time educational information on the students we help, enabling us to improve our support.
- Leverage digital and partners : We continued developing a tailored content strategy for engaging families we support.
- Expand digital inclusion: We delivered an additional 3,774 digital devices and 33,397 students and family members continue to be connected to the internet through the Optus Donate Your Data® initiative.
Broader reach
- Grow reach: 178,430 children and young people across Australia participated in our programs and 67,165 students in our Learning for Life program, up from 62,822 last year.
- Grow influence: We engaged students and young people in our longitudinal research, including through the Pathways, Engagement and Transitions project, which provided opportunities to enhance our program effectiveness and advocacy.
Strategic foundations
- Grow sustainable funding: By year-end, we had 67,282 active individual sponsors of students on Learning for Life and we exceeded fundraising targets through strong appeals and service, and through high-value donor, partner and customer relationship management.
- Empower our people: We began a Culture Initiative to review and enhance our organisational culture in support of our strategy goals.
- Be cyber secure and invest in digital, technology and data: 86% of Learning for Life families we support engaged with our My Smith Family portal and continue to enhance our supporter experience online.
Impact in action
Optus is powering Iesha's potential
“Before joining Donate Your Data®, I had limited access to the internet,” says Iesha. “Now I can go anywhere and use that data and not have to wait for the next month to come.”
Digital skills and reliable internet access are essentials in education. Without these, some young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are being left behind.
To help address the digital divide, one of the most powerful tools The Smith Family has is the Donate Your Data® initiative through our longstanding and much-valued partnership with Optus.
The initiative is making a real impact, with Learning for Life students like Iesha no longer having to worry about running out of data each month.
Our progress
220,627 participants reached
178,430
children and young people participated in our programs in 2023–24.
67,165
Learning for Life sponsorship recipients.
91 communities in which Learning for Life programs are delivered
25.2%
Learning for Life participation of sponsored students (16,924) in 2023–24 identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
784
school that we have partnered with that are attended by Learning for Life students.
213,080 Individual supporters
248 Partner organisations
67
Corporate partners
170
Trust and foundations
11
Tertiary institutions
The Smith Family has had an immense impact on my schooling. I’ve been able to take part in many experiences that I couldn’t have.
Impact in action
Creating a better future
“I’ve been going to Learning Club since Year 1. I like doing homework and hanging out with my friends after I’ve finished my homework. I like all the tutors there. They help me with spelling and reading. I definitely enjoy going to school, even though I’m a little scared about going into Year 7.”
Cooper, Learning for Life student
I couldn’t ask for a better support system than what I have from The Smith Family. Both my sons, Ethan and Cooper, are on the Learning for Life sponsorship. When I was offered the support, I was in a bad marriage and struggling financially.
Volunteers
Without the generous donation of our volunteers’ time and skills, our work would not have the scale and impact it does. We are grateful to the thousands of community and corporate volunteers who dedicate their time and support to further The Smith Family’s purpose.
4,913
individual Smith Family volunteers filling 5,485 volunteer roles nationally (with some volunteers taking on more than one role).
123,547
hours of service donated by volunteers, equivalent to $4.3million.
92%
of volunteers reported satisfaction with staff support provided.
87%
of volunteers would speak positively to others about their volunteering experience with us.
Impact in action
Virtual volunteering offers a different way to give back
VIEW Club members, Margaret and Sandy, wanted to do something extra for The Smith Family. Joining The Smith Family’s Virtual Volunteering team was an opportunity that suited their schedules, while also being rewarding.
Being able to volunteer online whenever suits them, from the comfort of their own homes, is appealing for Margaret and Sandy.
As VIEW Club members, the pair understand how important educational support is for children experiencing disadvantage. Being part of the Virtual Volunteering team has deepened that understanding and their connection to The Smith Family.
I am very proud to volunteer for The Smith Family. I feel like I am making a positive contribution to sponsored students. In this role, I have gained more insight into their lives. It is a very enjoyable experience.
Thank you to our supporters
Governance
We are transparent and accountable for how we manage our assets. Our donors deserve transparency – more reporting on the effectiveness and outcomes of their donations, and tangible stories about how they are contributing to improving the lives of those we help. Our annual report strives to convey this information and demonstrate our accountability to supporters and partners who trust us to spend their donations wisely and well.
Where we obtained our financial resources
How we applied our financial resources
Impact in action
Support to achieve big
To get to where I am has taken a lot of sacrifices for me and my family. Being a Learning for Life student has definitely helped a ton. At the start, buying school supplies wasn’t easy because we had to use our finances for food and rent. The Learning for Life program helped with getting my school supplies and uniforms. The support from The Smith Family took a weight off my parents’ shoulders, with paying for my gymnastics, school fees and supplies.
Going to the Olympics was one of the best experiences in my life. Living with and walking next to the world’s best athletes was so surreal. I want to thank my sponsor for helping not just me, but my parents. Without your support, I wouldn’t be here today achieving what I’ve achieved.
Read more stories
Meet students on our programs
Hear from some of the children and their families who have received support through The Smith Family programs.
Meet our sponsored students
Hear from our sponsored students as they talk about the way in which support through sponsorship has given them the opportunity to fit in and catch up at school.
Meet our Learning for Life Coordinators
Our Learning for Life coordinators are on the ground in 91 communities across Australia, working hard to ensure disadvantaged children and their families get the help they need.