The Smith Family

What The Smith Family does

The Smith Family is a national, independent Australian children's charity founded in 1922, headquartered in Sydney with operations across 90 communities. The organization addresses educational inequality caused by poverty, serving approximately 186,499 disadvantaged children and young people annually, with 71,818 students sponsored through its core Learning for Life program. Its core program provides emotional, practical, and financial support across a child's educational journey from early years through tertiary education, supported by specialized offerings in literacy (student2student, Let's Read), numeracy (Let's Count), technology access, mentoring, Learning Clubs, work inspiration, financial literacy (MoneyMinded, Saver Plus), and culturally responsive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs.

The business model is a multi-channel charitable giving operation with no underlying proprietary technology platform. Revenue streams include recurring child sponsorship subscriptions, monthly and one-time donations, a tiered charity gift catalogue ($25-$650) sold through a dedicated e-commerce storefront, bequests, corporate partnerships with major firms (Telstra Foundation, Deloitte, EY, ANZ, SAP, Optus, Officeworks, Colgate-Palmolive, OZ Minerals, Cedar Woods, Ampol), community fundraising events (City2Surf, Sydney Marathon, Melbourne Marathon), seasonal appeals (Toy & Book Appeal, Giving Tree), and the 13,000+ member VIEW Clubs of Australia volunteer network. Supporters engage via the main website, dedicated subdomains for events, gifts, birthdays, and giving tree programs, and the My Smith Family online portal. Retail stores were divested to Save the Children effective December 2019 to refocus on educational mission. The organization is led by CEO Doug Taylor, is registered as an Australian nonprofit (ABN 28 000 030 179), and operates without parent company, venture capital, or private equity backing.

Name

The Smith Family

Legal name

The Smith Family

Website

https://thesmithfamily.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Smith Family is an Australian children's charity founded in 1922 that helps disadvantaged young people overcome educational inequality through its Learning for Life program and related literacy, numeracy, mentoring, and career support services across 90 communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Education Charity / Educational Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), Family & Parenting Education (Family Literacy, Parenting Skills) (EDAAAFAF)

Keywords

• Children's education charity
• Child sponsorship programs
• Literacy and numeracy support
• Educational mentoring programs
• Learning clubs

Headquarters

HQ city

Camperdown

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Child Sponsorship: Recurring sponsorship program where donors are matched to Australian children in need. Sponsors provide learning essentials including books, uniforms, and stationery. Combined sponsorship model where two sponsors support one child.
2. General Donations: One-time and monthly donations supporting Learning for Life education support programs. Monthly donors provide continual support throughout all stages of a child's education.
3. Charity Gift Catalogue: Purchasable charity gifts where proceeds fund specific programs. Gifts include learning essentials, learning pathways, and learning support items at various price points ($25-$650).
4. Bequests and Planned Giving: Gifts made through wills to ensure future generations of Australian children have educational support.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Cause-related marketing partnerships, workplace giving programs, and strategic corporate partnerships with organizations like Telstra Foundation, Deloitte, EY, ANZ, and others.
6. Toy and Book Appeal: Christmas appeal providing toys and books to Learning for Life families with children aged 0-12 years.
7. Event Fundraising: Community fundraising events including running events, personal challenges, celebrations, and DIY fundraisers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Smith Family is a national Australian children's charity that delivers education support programs to disadvantaged children and young people. Its core offering is the *Learning for Life* sponsorship program, supplemented by literacy, numeracy, technology, mentoring, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs, and community-based Learning Clubs in 90 Australian communities. Funding is raised through individual donations, child sponsorship, charity gift catalogue purchases, bequests, corporate partnerships, and community event fundraising.

Product overview

The Smith Family is a national Australian children's charity offering a portfolio of educational support programs and charitable giving products. The core offering is the Learning for Life program, an evidence-based initiative providing emotional, practical and financial support from early childhood through tertiary education. This core program is supported by specialized offerings including Literacy Programs (student2student, Let's Read), Numeracy Programs (Let's Count), Technology Programs, Mentoring Programs, and Learning Clubs. The organization also operates the Charity Gift Catalogue, an online shop where donors can purchase educational gifts ranging from $25 book packs to $650 homework support packages, with gift categories including Learning Essentials, Learning Pathways, and Learning Support. Additional programs include SmArts creative arts, Work Inspiration career programs, Financial Programs (MoneyMinded, Saver Plus), and the Toy & Book Appeal seasonal program. Digital engagement is facilitated through the My Smith Family online portal for sponsors and families, and an Events and Fundraising Platform for community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child Sponsorship A recurring sponsorship program where donors are matched with an Australian child in need; two sponsors combined provide learning essentials including books, uniform and stationery so the child does not fall further behind at school.
• Charity Gift Catalogue Online catalogue of purchasable charity gifts (Learning Essentials, Learning Pathways, Learning Support) that fund specific education programs for disadvantaged Australian children, with gift prices ranging from $25 to $650.
• Learning Essentials (Charity Gift) Charity gifts providing learning essentials for children in need, including Let's Read Book Packs ($25), Primary School Packs ($40), High School Packs ($110), and Digital Devices ($545).
• Learning Pathways (Charity Gift) Charity gifts supporting learning pathways including Closing the Gap Indigenous support ($55), Indigenous Mentorship ($110), and Work Inspiration Program ($95), and Creative Arts/SmArts Program ($269).
• Learning Support (Charity Gift) Charity gifts providing learning support including Student Reading Program / student2student ($50), Support a Learning Club ($75), and Help with Homework year-long ($650).
• Single Donation One-off donation supporting The Smith Family's Learning for Life education support programs; donations of $2 and over are tax deductible.
• Monthly Donation Recurring monthly donation providing continual support throughout all stages of a disadvantaged child's education through The Smith Family's programs.
• Gift in Will (Bequests and Planned Giving) Planned giving program enabling donors to leave a gift through their will to ensure future generations of Australian children have educational support.
• Workplace Giving Workplace giving program that enables employees to make small, regular pre-tax donations through their employer to support young Australians living in poverty.
• Philanthropic Giving Major-donor philanthropic giving program allowing individuals to make larger gifts that ensure young Australians impacted by poverty receive the education all children deserve.
• Toy & Book Appeal Annual Christmas appeal providing Toy and Book Packs (two toys and two books) to Learning for Life families with children aged 0–12 years.
• Events and Fundraising Platform Online platform for community fundraising activities including personal challenges, celebrations, memorials, and mass participation events such as City2Surf, Sydney Marathon, Melbourne Marathon, and Runaway Sydney Half Marathon.
• VIEW Clubs of Australia Membership Membership-based volunteer organisation of more than 13,000 Australian women who fundraise and support The Smith Family's mission to help disadvantaged children through education.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of children in student2student reading program improved their reading age last year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Telstra FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner providing digital inclusion support and device donations to help bridge the digital divide for disadvantaged students.
• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting The Smith Family's education programs through workplace giving and cause-related initiatives.
• EY (Ernst & Young)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner engaged in supporting education programs for disadvantaged Australian children.
• ANZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBanking partner supporting The Smith Family through corporate partnerships and workplace giving programs.
• AmpolsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting The Smith Family's charitable initiatives and community programs.
• SAPsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing software solutions and support for The Smith Family's operations.
• OptussecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerTelecommunications partner supporting digital access initiatives for disadvantaged students.
• OfficeworkssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail partner supporting learning essentials donations and workplace giving programs.
• Colgate-PalmolivesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting hygiene and learning essentials for disadvantaged families.
• OZ MineralssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerMining company partner supporting regional education programs for disadvantaged children.
• Cedar WoodssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerProperty developer partner participating in Bridge2Brisbane and corporate fundraising events.
• Curtin UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for Learning Clubs providing student volunteers and support.
• University of Technology SydneysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership supporting educational programs and student engagement.
• Queensland University of Technology (QUT)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for Explore Uni Camp program inspiring disadvantaged students.
• Save the ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince December 2019, Save the Children operates The Smith Family's retail stores, providing affordable second-hand goods to local communities.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mission Australia: Large Australian nonprofit providing services across homelessness, youth, family, and education support. Overlapping mission around disadvantaged youth and education outcomes, with similar funding model and national footprint.
• Barnardos Australia: Australian children's charity focused on child protection, out-of-home care, and educational support for vulnerable children. Directly comparable mission and beneficiary base as a national nonprofit serving disadvantaged children and families.
• Berry Street: Major Australian family and children services organisation providing education, early childhood, and family support. Directly comparable as a Victorian-headquartered nonprofit serving disadvantaged children and families through education-focused programs.
• Save the Children Australia: Major Australian children's charity focused on child welfare, education, and poverty alleviation. Directly comparable as a national nonprofit serving disadvantaged children; Save the Children also operates The Smith Family's former retail stores since 2019.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army Australia: One of Australia's largest charities operating across family support, education, emergency relief, and community services. Comparable as a major national charity with diversified services to disadvantaged families and children, though much broader in scope.
• Australian Red Cross: Major Australian humanitarian organisation with programs spanning education, migration support, and community services. Comparable scale and corporate partnership model, though broader humanitarian mandate.
• UNICEF Australia: Australian arm of global children's charity focused on child rights, education, and welfare. Comparable mission around children's education and wellbeing, with similar sponsorship/donor programs at scale.

Emerging players

• Starlight Children's Foundation Australia: Australian children's charity supporting sick and hospitalised children through wish-granting and in-hospital programs. Comparable as a national children's charity with similar donation and corporate partnership model, but narrower focus on health-related interventions.
• Kids Under Cover: Australian charity focused on preventing youth homelessness through education support and housing. Comparable beneficiary base of disadvantaged Australian youth and education-linked intervention model, though at smaller scale.

Regional players

• Royal Children's Hospital Foundation: Major Australian charity supporting children's health through hospital fundraising in Victoria. Comparable national children's charity profile and corporate donor base, but health-focused rather than education-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SmithFamily_org
• YouTubeyoutube.com/TheSmithFamily1922
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheSmithFamilyAustralia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-smith-family
• Instagraminstagram.com/thesmithfamilyaus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Smith Family