Our Mission
To promote and enable equal access to further education and career opportunities for rural and regional youth irrespective of background, circumstances or location through community-based encouragement and financial assistance.
What we measure and how
We measure the following information to produce statistics on Our Impact:
• Number of students supported annually
• Value of local grants given
• Value of education partner co-funding (financial support provided by partner tertiary institutions)
We collate this data from the information provided by our local CEF foundations and the money provided by education partnerships. We also collect valuable information from students during the application process and with mid and end of year student reports.
In addition, we also evaluate the overall support provided to students through the following key areas of operations which support our mission, vision and values.
Our Values
Equality
Promoting equality for everyone irrespective of background or circumstance.
Connection
Building meaningful and genuine relationships through collaboration and encouragement.
Empowerment
Inspiring people to achieve their goals with the right resources, investment and encouragement.
Sustainability
Working harder and smarter to secure a better future.
Our Values
Local Foundations
Work with passionate, dedicated and inspired local people to establish foundations.
Partnerships
Collaborate with corporate, philanthropic and education partners and indivduals committed to education equity
Resources
Develop unique, tailored resources to provide important information to students and volunteers
Social Support
Provide Community support, peer to peer connections and mentorship to ease the transition to post school education
Programs
Implement programs to ensure we provide robust, relevant support to students and volunteers
Students who reach their full potential
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Vibrant and thriving communities
Our student impact report
Each year, we evaluate both the financial and social impact CEF has on our our rural and regional students and we publish our “Student Impact Report”. This document examines the impact we have in that academic year, and our cumulative impact since inception in 1993. It provides the ‘hard facts’ about our impact, and also provides anecdotal information from partners and students about the importance of the work of CEF.
View more of our historical Student Impact reports
SOCIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT = SROI
Social return on investment (SROI) is a method for measuring values that are not traditionally reflected in financial statements, including social, economic, and environmental factors. They can identify how effectively an organisation uses its resources to create value for the community.
In 2011, Social Ventures Australia, Australia’s leading not-for-profit consulting organisation, completed and SROI report for CEF. In 2019, we worked with 180 Degrees Consulting, the world’s largest consulting organisation who give real world experience to top university students, to update this information.
We wanted to see how much we had improved the way we work to provide a great social return for our passionate donors.
2019 REPORT – HOW WAS THIS NUMBER DETERMINED?
The SROI measurement model is a complex measurement method that is a widely recognised and accepted way to measure social impact.
A dollar value was attributed to each of the following categories:
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Recipient value
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Volunteer value
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University partner value
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Donations
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Fundraising
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In-kind support
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Volunteer time
These dollar values were determined based on:
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CEF reporting
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Their own research
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Data from institutions such the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Social Value Bank and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
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General financial information like the Australian minimum wage and the value of volunteer time
Finally, the following important information is also taken into consideration:
Deadweight
An estimate of the value that would have been created if CEF’s activities had not occurred
“what value would have still been created if CEF did not exist?”
Attribution
An estimate of how much the activities of external parties contribute to the outcomes measured
“To what extent is CEF responsible for these outcomes?”
Drop-off
An estimate of how the benefits of an outcome diminish over time
“How do the outcomes created by CEF for individuals diminish each year?”
THE END RESULT?
The final result of the social return on investment report speaks for itself!
