What Social Outcomes does

Social Outcomes is an Australian professional services consultancy established in 2014. It works with boards, executives and teams at for-purpose organisations, government agencies, philanthropic institutions and corporations to define theories of change, establish impact strategies, build measurement frameworks, report outcomes and design payment-by-outcomes contracts or social impact bonds. Its work is tailored to organisations that need evidence for funding, governance, procurement and stakeholder decisions. This client and service profile is supported

Its core services are Impact Fundamentals, Theory of Change Co-Design, Impact Strategy Development, Impact Measurement Frameworks, Impact Reporting, Payment by Outcome Contracting Design and ongoing Strategic Advisory Services. Delivery is primarily through structured workshops, co-design sessions, framework design, negotiation support and human-led advisory work. The company is not a technology business: it has no disclosed API, integrations or proprietary software platform, and its principal operating assets are practitioner expertise, evidence-based methods and accumulated case experience. This technology assessment is supported

Social Outcomes generates revenue through project-based consulting and advisory engagements tailored to client needs. Its sales-led go-to-market relies on direct engagement, referrals, professional networks, thought leadership, industry contributions and partnerships. The company reports more than 150 clients since 2014 across Australia and the Pacific, while pricing is not publicly disclosed, preventing analysis of contract-level revenue or customer concentration. This commercial profile is supported.

Name

Social Outcomes

Legal name

Social Outcomes

Website

https://socialoutcomes.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Social Outcomes is an Australian specialist consultancy that helps not-for-profits, government agencies, philanthropic organizations and corporates build impact strategies, theories of change, measurement frameworks, reporting systems and outcomes-based contracts through tailored engagements. The description is supported.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Consulting

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investment & Social Finance Programs (BPADAOAJ)

Keywords

• Impact measurement consulting
• Theory of change design
• Social impact advisory
• Outcomes contracting services
• Social value strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney, NSW

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Advisory Services: Social Outcomes generates revenue through consulting engagements where they help organisations develop impact measurement frameworks, theories of change, impact strategies, and outcomes contracting designs. Engagements are project-based and evidence-based, serving boards, executives and teams across for-purpose, government, philanthropic and corporate sectors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Social Outcomes is a specialist consulting firm that builds the impact foundations organisations need to measure and increase their social impact. The firm offers evidence-based advisory services including impact measurement frameworks, theory of change co-design, impact strategy development, impact reporting, and outcomes contracting design (including social impact bonds). Engagements are project-based, tailored to client needs, and work with boards, executives and teams across for-purpose, government, philanthropic and corporate sectors.

Product overview

Social Outcomes is a consulting firm offering advisory services for impact measurement and social outcomes. Their portfolio consists of six integrated core services: Impact Fundamentals (foundational concepts training), Theory of Change Co-Design, Impact Strategy Development, Impact Measurement Frameworks, Impact Reporting, and Payment by Outcome Contracting Design. These services work together as a progression—from building shared understanding through to measuring and reporting on outcomes—with Strategic Advisory Services available for ongoing engagement. Every engagement is described as evidence-based, practical, and built for implementation rather than compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Impact Fundamentals Structured sessions for boards and leadership teams that build shared understanding of impact concepts including activity/output/outcome distinctions, theory of change, evidence bases, and impact reporting. Targeted at organisations new to impact foundations work.
• Theory of Change Co-Design
• Impact Strategy Development Translating theory of change into a focused three-year plan that centres beneficiaries and defines specific impact aspirations and organisational priorities. Targeted at boards and executive leadership.
• Impact Measurement Frameworks Designing frameworks to identify outcomes and measurement tools, gathering data in practical ways with continuous improvement processes and stakeholder reporting capabilities. Targeted at organisations needing rigorous yet practical measurement approaches.
• Impact Reporting Transforming measurement data into clear, credible reports demonstrating the difference an organisation makes, using both data and stories to communicate impact. Targeted at organisations reporting to funders, partners, and communities.
• Payment by Outcome Contracting Design Helping organisations assess, design, and negotiate payment by outcomes contracts and social impact bonds, including EOI writing, contract negotiation, and ongoing impact reporting. Covers the full outcomes contracting cycle from feasibility to contract completion.
• Strategic Advisory Services Ongoing strategic advisory services acting as a sounding board for organisations navigating strategic questions, new directions, or difficult decisions with experienced, independent perspective. Targeted at organisations needing ongoing senior counsel.

Quantifiable outcome

• Designed Australia's first social impact bond (Benevolent Society bond in NSW in 2012)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Impact Culture AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Impact Culture Australia is Social Outcomes' sister enterprise that helps organisations embed impact into their governance, systems and everyday practice, taking impact work to the next level once the foundations are in place. Sandy Blackburn founded Impact Culture Australia in 2025.
• Nicki Hutley EconomicsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWhen undertaking cost benefit analysis, Social Outcomes partners with Nicki Hutley of Nicki Hutley Economics, who brings economics expertise to complement Social Outcomes' impact measurement capabilities.
• Future Generation Global and Seer DataflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning partnership for impact measurement work. Future Generation Global is an investment fund with a philanthropic arm focused on preventative work to improve the mental health of young people. The collaboration designed a measurement framework that works for the fund as a whole as well as the 14 different organisations they invest in. This partnership won the 2024 Australian Philanthropy Collaboration Award for Impact Measurement.
• DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Outcomes designed a development impact bond to improve outcomes for subsistence farmers in Papua New Guinea, in partnership with DFAT. Also designed the Pacific RISE facility for DFAT ($5 million facility to attract impact investment into the Pacific) and undertook multiple projects through this facility.
• Assistance Dogs Australia and SeerflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Social Outcomes, Assistance Dogs Australia (ADA) and Seer Data to bring ADA's impact to life. Seer Data hosted a podcast about this partnership.
• Churches of Christ in Queensland and WestpacflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Outcomes acted as the intermediary and led the design of the Youth CONNECT impact measurement framework, the development of the commercial structure and worked with Westpac to raise the $5 million required for the $5 million social benefit bond issued by Churches of Christ in Queensland in 2017.
• Queensland Treasury - Office of Social ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Outcomes ran sessions for the Office of Social Impact at Queensland Treasury on Payment by Outcome (PBO) design and measurement approaches.
• Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2023, AICD commissioned Social Outcomes to develop a handbook on impact measurement for NFP board directors. Sandy Blackburn is a regular contributor to OnImpact (hosted by AICD). Social Outcomes also collaborated with AICD to produce a video featuring Happy Paws Happy Hearts executives.
• Benevolent Society and Indigenous Business AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Outcomes identified Food Ladder as a strong candidate for a payment by outcomes contract in partnership with the Benevolent Society, designing a contract that would deliver indigenous health, education and employment outcomes. Selected by NSW Treasury to enter the joint development phase of the Office for Social Impact Investment's commissioning process.
• Indigenous Business Australia (IBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBA commissioned Social Outcomes to identify and develop a social impact bond design to benefit indigenous communities directly. Social Outcomes also worked with Old Ways New with base funding from IBA.
• Energy Consumers AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2019, Social Outcomes worked with Energy Consumers Australia to better understand and articulate their theory of change and develop an impact management framework, including two capacity building workshops.
• Centre for Social Impact (CSI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSandy Blackburn was the convener of The Social Marketplace on behalf of CSI in 2013 and 2014, a simulation exercise of an impact investing market bringing together social enterprises and impact investors.
• Griffith UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSandy Blackburn has been an Industry Fellow with the Centre for Sustainable Enterprises at Griffith University since 2015, lecturing to their Masters program and speaking at Graduate Network events on social impact bonds, corporate social responsibility and social impact creation.
• Coffey/Tetra TechminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn 2016, Social Outcomes partnered with Coffey to design the Pacific RISE facility for DFAT. Since then, they have undertaken four different projects in the Pacific through this facility.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Social Impact (CSI): Australian social impact research, education and advisory body that designs impact measurement tools and supports NFPs and governments. Direct peer in the Australian impact measurement ecosystem; Social Outcomes' founder Sandy Blackburn previously convened The Social Marketplace on CSI's behalf.
• Bridges Fund Management: UK-based specialist in outcomes contracts and impact investing, including design of social impact bonds and outcomes-based commissioning. Directly comparable to Social Outcomes' Payment by Outcome Contracting service line and SIB design expertise.
• Think Impact: Specialist impact advisory firm offering impact measurement, theory of change, and outcomes contracting support to NFPs, funders and governments. Direct competitor with the same service stack and target customer base as Social Outcomes.
• Social Ventures Australia (SVA): Leading Australian impact advisory and investment organisation that helps for-purpose organisations build evidence, measure outcomes, and access capital. Direct peer given overlapping client base (Australian NFPs, philanthropies, government) and shared focus on outcomes measurement and impact investing readiness.
• The Difference Incubator (TDi): Australian social enterprise and impact advisory organisation supporting purpose-led businesses and NFPs to scale impact. Comparable given similar Australian client base and focus on impact strategy and measurement.
• Keystone Accountability: International specialist in impact measurement frameworks, stakeholder feedback, and outcomes reporting for social purpose organisations. Direct peer given shared focus on practical, beneficiary-centred impact measurement tools.
• TACSI (The Australian Centre for Social Innovation): Australian social innovation organisation that co-designs and tests new approaches to entrenched social problems with NFPs and governments. Peer in the Australian for-purpose advisory space, with overlap in outcomes-focused design work.

Emerging players

• Impact Investing Australia: Industry body advancing the impact investing market in Australia and the Pacific, co-founded by Social Outcomes' founder Sandy Blackburn. Peer in the impact ecosystem with adjacent rather than directly competing services.

Broad incumbents

• Purpose: Global strategic communications and impact advisory firm working with social purpose organisations, governments and philanthropies on impact strategy and measurement. Comparable in mission and service offering but operating at much larger scale across multiple geographies.

Regional players

• Social Impact UK: UK-based advisory and impact bonds specialist with deep experience designing and managing outcomes-based contracts. Comparable in outcomes contracting expertise but operating primarily in the UK rather than Australia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Social_Outcomes
• Facebookfacebook.com/Social-Outcomes-436255139846993
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/social-outcomes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Social Outcomes