Impact Evaluation

Understanding whether a program makes a difference is one of the most important questions in evaluation. Impact evaluation goes beyond measuring activities and outputs to assess the broader, longer-term changes a program has contributed to in people's lives, communities or systems.

We design and deliver impact evaluations that help organisations understand and demonstrate the real-world difference their work makes, providing credible evidence for funders, stakeholders and the communities you serve.

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Evaluation / Impact Evaluation

What is impact evaluation?

Impact evaluation assesses the broader, longer-term effects of a program or intervention. While process evaluation looks at how a program was delivered and outcomes evaluation measures whether intended results were achieved, impact evaluation asks a bigger question: what difference did this program actually make, and would that change have happened without it?

This can include changes in people's knowledge, skills, behaviours, health or wellbeing, as well as wider shifts in communities, organisations or systems. Impact evaluation often needs to account for other factors that may have influenced the result, which is why we use a range of approaches, from contribution analysis and theory-based evaluation through to pre-post designs, comparison groups and economic evaluation methods like cost-benefit analysis and social return on investment.

We work across sectors where demonstrating impact matters: health promotion, community development, education, environment and natural resource management, social services and the creative industries. Whether you need to make the case for continued investment, report to funders on what your program achieved, or understand the lasting effects of your work, impact evaluation provides the evidence to do so credibly.

When is impact evaluation the right approach?

Impact evaluation is most valuable when you need to go beyond activity and output reporting to understand and demonstrate the broader changes your program has contributed to.

Demonstrating value to funders

When funders or government need evidence that an investment has delivered meaningful results beyond outputs and activities.

End of a program cycle

When a program is concluding or reaching a decision point and you need to understand its lasting effects to inform what comes next.

Making the case for scaling

When you need credible evidence that a program works in order to expand it, attract new funding or advocate for policy change.

Understanding who benefits

When you want to understand not just whether your program had an impact, but who experienced the greatest benefit and why.

Economic impact questions

When you need to understand the return on investment, cost-effectiveness or broader economic value of a program to justify continued or new funding.

Multi-site or portfolio impact

When you're funding or delivering across multiple sites or projects and need to understand the collective impact of the portfolio.

Impact Evaluation Projects

Examples of our impact evaluation work across diverse sectors.

Featured Project

Evaluation of Family Man

Movember

We led a comprehensive impact, outcomes, process and economic evaluation of Family Man, an online digital intervention designed to increase the use of positive parenting techniques among fathers and caregivers of children aged 2 to 8. The product includes three interactive episodes based on evidence-based techniques designed specifically for fathers. Our evaluation assessed the program's effectiveness, reach and value for money, providing Movember with the evidence to support further investment and development.

Digital Health Mental Health Economic Evaluation

View the infographic summary

Featured Project

Homeward Bound Leadership Program Impact Evaluation

Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound is a transformational leadership initiative for women in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine), with a goal of building an international network of 1,000 women who collaborate, lead and create impact. We co-designed and delivered an impact evaluation that assessed the program's effects on participants' leadership capabilities, professional networks and career trajectories.

Leadership Women in STEMM International

View the impact evaluation report

Safer Cities Program Evaluation

Transport for NSW

Evaluating a multi-council program improving safety in cities and towns for women and girls, including co-designed interventions at transport hubs and in local communities.

Women's Safety Co-design

Weeds and Rabbits Project Impact Analysis

Agriculture Victoria

An impact analysis of an initiative to improve established pest and weed management in Victoria, using a systems-strengthening approach to assess social, economic and institutional value.

Impact Analysis NRM

View the project website

ACT School Active Travel Programs Evaluation

Transport Canberra and City Services

A decade-spanning evaluation of programs encouraging students to actively travel to and from school, assessing impact on travel behaviours, safety and health outcomes.

Education Behaviour Change

View the evaluation report

Safe + Equal Annual Impact Report

Safe + Equal

Delivering the first annual impact evaluation for Victoria's peak body for family and gender-based violence specialist organisations, documenting organisational-level impact across prevention, response and recovery.

DFV Peak Body

COVID-19 Vaccine Health Project Impact Evaluation

Settlement Council of Australia

Evaluating the impact of a national project providing COVID-19 health information to migrant and refugee communities, assessing reach and effectiveness across diverse populations.

Health Equity CALD

View the published report

Film Victoria Development Programs Evaluation

Film Victoria

Evaluating the impact of Film Victoria's suite of development programs designed to generate compelling Victorian screen content and support the growth of the state's creative industries.

Creative Industries Screen

Related evaluation services

Program Evaluation

Evaluation Frameworks & Logic Models

All Evaluation Services

Need to demonstrate impact?

We can help you design and deliver an impact evaluation that provides credible evidence of the difference your program makes.

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Movember

Evaluation of Family Man

Impact EvaluationDigital HealthMental HealthEconomic Evaluation

Family Man is an online digital intervention aiming to increase the use of positive parenting techniques among fathers and other caregivers. The product includes three interactive episodes based on evidence-based techniques designed specifically for fathers of children aged 2 to 8 years old experiencing challenging behaviours.

We delivered a comprehensive evaluation combining impact, outcomes, process and economic components. This included assessing the program's effectiveness in changing parenting practices, its reach and engagement through website analytics, and its value for money. The evaluation provided Movember with the evidence base to inform future development and investment decisions for the platform.

Methods & Approach

Face-to-face interviewsOnline surveyWebsite analyticsEconomic evaluation

View the infographic summary

Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound Leadership Program Impact Evaluation

Impact EvaluationLeadershipWomen in STEMMInternational

Homeward Bound is a transformational leadership development initiative for women working in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM). Over ten years, Homeward Bound's goal is to develop and support an international network of 1,000 women who collaborate, lead and create impact.

We co-designed and delivered an impact evaluation assessing the program's effects on participants' leadership capabilities, professional networks and career trajectories. The evaluation drew on surveys, focus groups, interviews and document review to build a comprehensive picture of how the program was contributing to individual and collective change among women in STEMM globally.

Methods & Approach

Co-designOnline surveyFocus groupsDocument reviewPhone interviews

View the impact evaluation report

Transport for NSW

Safer Cities Program Evaluation

Impact EvaluationWomen's SafetyCo-designPlacemaking

Transport for NSW funded the Safer Cities Program over two years to improve safety in cities and towns, particularly for women and girls. The program provided funding to 10 councils and transport and infrastructure stakeholders to implement safety improvements in local communities and at transport hubs, with a significant focus on co-design of interventions.

We were engaged to develop a robust program logic, monitoring and evaluation plan and assist with planning, then evaluate the program's effectiveness, appropriateness and impact. The evaluation used mixed methods including surveys, observations and interviews, predominantly evaluating the council initiatives with a smaller evaluation of other funded activities.

Methods & Approach

Co-designHardcopy surveyMethodology designWorkshopsPhone interviews

Agriculture Victoria

Weeds and Rabbits Project Impact Analysis

Impact AnalysisNRMSystems Strengthening

The Weeds and Rabbits Project was an investment initiative managed by Agriculture Victoria to improve the management of established pest animals and weeds in Victoria and understand the complexity of issues affecting rabbit and weed management using a systems-strengthening approach.

We undertook an impact analysis using quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the social, economic and institutional value of the project across its lifespan. This included examining how the project contributed to strengthening the broader pest and weed management system in Victoria, not just delivering on-ground outputs.

Methods & Approach

Document reviewPhone interviewsWorkshops

View the project website

Transport Canberra and City Services

ACT School Active Travel Programs Evaluation

Impact EvaluationEducationBehaviour ChangePrevention

The ACT Government offered a range of school active travel programs between 2012 and 2022, which aimed to encourage more students to actively travel to and from school more often. These programs were delivered by various departments, with Transport Canberra and City Services currently managing the portfolio.

We evaluated the impact and outcomes of these programs over a decade of delivery, assessing their effectiveness in shifting travel behaviours and contributing to health, safety and environmental outcomes. The evaluation included developing a program logic, conducting surveys and interviews with stakeholders, and reviewing existing program data to build a comprehensive picture of impact across the portfolio.

Methods & Approach

Document reviewOnline surveyLogic model workshopVirtual interviewsPhone interviews

View the evaluation report

Safe + Equal

Safe + Equal Annual Impact Report

Impact EvaluationDFVPeak BodyOrganisational Impact

Safe + Equal is the peak body for Victorian organisations that specialise in family and gender-based violence, including primary prevention, early intervention, response and recovery. They engaged us to undertake the organisation's first Annual Impact Evaluation.

The scope involved establishing evaluation frameworks and indicators, documenting outcomes and impact across the organisation's programs and advocacy, and preparing an annual impact report. This included case studies, interviews with stakeholders and staff, and analysis of program data to demonstrate the breadth and depth of Safe + Equal's contribution to the sector.

Methods & Approach

Case studiesDocument reviewVirtual interviewsWorkshops

Settlement Council of Australia

COVID-19 Vaccine Health Project Impact Evaluation

Impact EvaluationHealth EquityCALD CommunitiesPublic Health

The Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) is a recognised and trusted peak body in the migration sector. In 2021 SCOA received funding from the Department of Health to develop a range of activities to provide COVID-19 related health information to migrant and refugee communities in Australia.

We evaluated the impact of the project, assessing its reach and effectiveness in getting vital health information to communities that were often underserved by mainstream public health messaging. The evaluation used interviews, surveys and document review to understand how the project reached diverse communities and what difference the information made to vaccine uptake and health literacy among participants.

Methods & Approach

Phone interviewsDocument reviewHardcopy survey

View the published report

Film Victoria

Film Victoria Development Programs Evaluation

Impact EvaluationCreative IndustriesScreenWorkforce Development

Film Victoria invests in a range of projects, programs and people to develop and promote the screen sector and contribute to social and cultural outcomes. The Development Programs were intended to address one of the VICSCREEN strategic priorities related to the generation of compelling Victorian screen content.

We evaluated the outcomes, process and impact of the Development Programs, assessing their effectiveness in supporting Victorian screen practitioners and contributing to a vibrant creative sector. The evaluation drew on program data, surveys with participants and interviews with stakeholders to understand the programs' reach, quality and contribution to the sector's growth.

Methods & Approach

Document reviewOnline surveyPhone interviewsVirtual interviews