Social impact conference to tackle systems, not just symptoms

SmartyGrants will join delegates from the social, government, corporate and education sectors at the two-day event hosted by the Impact Institute.

The institute tracks social impact trends and advises organisations on strategy, outcomes measurement and communication.

Its recent State of Social Impact report – which scans the social impact challenges facing the nation – highlighted the fact that Australian governments spend tens of billions each year responding to avoidable problems such as poverty and disease. The report also warned that the economic and social costs of environmental change would require coordinated action across sectors.

Now in its fourth year, the summit attracts leaders in the field, with two-thirds of delegates C-suite executives and senior managers.

This year’s theme is “clarity”, with an emphasis on focus in complex times.

Impact Institute program director Rian Newman said the theme emerged from past events.

"Across sectors, people told us the same thing: complexity is intensifying at the very moment the work feels most urgent. There is a strong belief in what is being built, and a shared sense that clarity in one part of the system can unlock progress somewhere else."

Newman said complex social issues were too often treated as isolated problems instead of systemic challenges, and that approach was costly in terms of dollars, community breakdown, and ecological damage.

In response, the summit aims to examine systems thinking: to understand root causes, to identify points of leverage for change, and to act across sectors rather than within silos.

Understanding social impact and being able to measure it means organisations and their partners can identify shared goals and make evidence-based decisions.

"This focus helps ensure scarce resources are directed where they can make the greatest difference," Newman said.

The summit aims to encourage collaboration beyond the event itself by bringing together funders, community organisations, government and business leaders.

"Funders will hear directly from organisations delivering services, alongside peers from government and philanthropy, about what enables progress and what creates barriers. These insights are often difficult to capture through formal reporting, but surface quickly when decision-makers and delivery partners are in the same room."

The opening keynote will feature Professor Arnold Dix, an engineering and crisis management expert known for his role coordinating the 2023 Uttarakhand tunnel rescue in India.

He will speak about "clarity forged under pressure", arguing that the most effective responses to complex crises come not from having all the answers, but from having a clear sense of purpose when conditions are at their worst.

The second day of the event has three streams:

• Profit and purpose: examining how organisations, including social enterprises, can align commercial goals with social outcomes, with discussions about costs, delivery and community benefit.
• People and communities: focusing on places and services designed around community needs. Community Directors executive director Adele Stowe-Lindner will speak on the fraught issue of “leading for social cohesion in contested environments". Other sessions examine youth co-design and social connection.
• Collective transformation: examining broader structural and ethical questions, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in social services, redesigned models of care, and improved data use for funders and communities.

Impact Lab masterclasses will run alongside the main program, providing practical sessions on measuring outcomes, storytelling and responsible AI use.

Newman said organisers hoped the summit would have an impact well beyond the event.

"Innovation in social impact is not about novelty. It is about clarity, bringing evidence, practice and experimentation together to strengthen collaboration, test new ideas with confidence and expand what feels achievable across the system."

More information

socialimpactsummit.co