Strong reach, with capacity constraints
Across its programmes, HBE has supported 7,000+ students, awarded 90 scholarships and received 15,000+ volunteer hours. Manual systems still limit scholarships to around 50 scholars a year.
Capacity building for HBE.
HBE Academy’s paid VCE tutoring helps fund free scholarships. HBE has identified five capacity-building initiatives to grow its reach. This paper explores where Opposite could contribute, subject to funding.
Explore the ideasHBE's plan · five initiatives
Build the capability to grow.
01Integrated operations
02Unified pedagogy
03Workforce capability
04Impact measurement
05Commercial capability
One plan, whichever funding path succeeds
Background
A youth-led organisation working to make education more accessible.
Happy Brain Education (HBE) supports young people through scholarships, mentoring, school workshops and wellbeing support. Its paid VCE tutoring programme, HBE Academy, funds free scholarships, giving scholars the same lessons and resources as paying students.
Share of organisational costs covered by trading surplus
20%2024
33%2025
45%2026
70%2030 target
ACF backed the HBE Academy model in 2024. By 2026, HBE reported that trading surplus covered 45% of organisational costs.
School partnerships
HBE works with 15+ campuses across metropolitan and regional Victoria, with ICSEA below 1,000. Schools nominate scholars, and HBE delivers workshops for young people.
Greater reach and self-sufficiency
By 2030, HBE aims to support 100 scholars annually, reach 3,400 young people, partner with 30 campuses (eight regional) and cover 70% of operating costs through trading surplus.
Funding context
Two funding opportunities for one capacity-building plan.
HBE is pursuing two funding opportunities for the same five initiatives. The amount secured will shape the delivery priorities and timing.
01 / Australian Government
Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI)
Up to $120,000
A Department of Social Services programme administered by Impact Investing Australia that funds external capability-building services. HBE is applying; grants are capped at annual turnover, so the amount available may be below $120,000.
02 / Philanthropic
Australian Communities Foundation (ACF)
$100k-$150k
HBE is seeking $100,000–$150,000 over two years. The full plan costs an estimated $150,000; with less funding, HBE could stage the work.
How the funding connects
Both opportunities support the same five initiatives. Once funding is clear, HBE and Opposite could agree priorities, roles and milestones with other partners and grant conditions in mind.
HBE’s plan
Five initiatives designed to support HBE’s sustainable growth.
Five initiatives in HBE’s proposed order. Budgets are HBE estimates, not Opposite fees; delivery roles are not yet agreed.
01Integrated operationsA CRM and student portal linked to the scholar journey and HBE Academy’s learning system.$35k
02Unified pedagogyA consistent teaching approach across tutoring, scholarships, mentoring and wellbeing.$30k
03Workforce capabilityOnline induction, role-based learning and ongoing quality assurance.$25k
04Impact measurementConsistent outcome measures, programme logic and impact reporting.$30k
05Commercial capabilityA clearer enrolment journey and sales process for HBE Academy.$30k
Where HBE aims to be by 2030
100Scholars supported annually
3,400Young people reached annually, across all HBE programmes
30Partner campuses, including eight regional
70%Operating costs met through trading surplus
How Opposite could support
Potential contributions to HBE’s plan. Scope and roles would be agreed with HBE, its partners and funders.
HBE initiative 01 / 05HBE estimate · $35k
Integrated operations
Scholar matching and records still rely on spreadsheets, drives and email. Integrated systems would reduce administration as scholarship numbers grow.
What HBE has planned
- Build a full CRM and student portal with Webfiex, covering scholarships and HBE Academy.
- Connect all 14 stages of the scholar journey, from enquiry to graduation.
- Track scholar attendance, engagement and support needs.
- Maintain tutor and mentor profiles, checks and accreditation.
- Automate matching, attendance and reporting.
- Integrate the Academy learning portal, finance and feedback tools.
How Opposite could help
- Map the 14-stage scholar journey, including staff roles, key interactions and information flows.
- Understand system needs through staff, tutor, mentor and scholar research.
- Compare CRM and portal options, including Webfiex, on costs, benefits and fit.
- Prototype and test key screens and tasks with users.
- Build the CRM and student portal if HBE selects Opposite to develop it.
Possible delivery
Webfiex is HBE’s planned developer. Opposite could collaborate, compare alternatives or deliver the system, depending on HBE’s priorities.
HBE initiative 02 / 05HBE estimate · $30k
Unified pedagogy
HBE wants to bring its tutoring, mentoring and wellbeing approaches together so students receive consistent support across programmes.
What HBE has planned
- Finalise a shared teaching approach with HBE’s education leads.
- Use it across Academy, scholarships, mentoring and wellbeing.
- Create videos, handouts and practice exams for seven VCE subjects.
- Create consistent session plans and coaching templates.
- Make the Academy portal a guided year-long journey.
- Pilot with the 2027 cohort and refine before rollout.
How Opposite could help
- Turn the teaching approach into learning journeys, session structures and reusable templates.
- Make Academy lessons, practice, coaching and feedback easier to navigate.
- Create practical learning resources HBE staff can update.
- Collect student and tutor feedback from the 2027 pilot and refine the experience.
Possible delivery
HBE’s education team would own pedagogy and subject content; Opposite could help design learning experiences and resources.
HBE initiative 03 / 05HBE estimate · $25k
Workforce capability
Live induction takes weeks of staff time. On-demand learning could speed up onboarding while maintaining standards as HBE grows.
What HBE has planned
- Build an on-demand learning platform with development and L&D specialists.
- Put induction and training online for 50+ staff and volunteers.
- Define capability standards for each tutor and mentor level.
- Use observation and feedback to support quality.
How Opposite could help
- Identify essential skills for tutors, mentors, staff and volunteers.
- Design role-based modules, videos, practice activities and checklists.
- Create assessment and feedback tools to support quality.
- Compare learning platforms against HBE’s needs and budget.
- Build the platform and content if HBE selects Opposite for both.
Possible delivery
HBE plans to engage a developer and L&D specialist; Opposite could fill either role or work alongside the developer.
HBE initiative 04 / 05HBE estimate · $30k
Impact measurement
HBE tracks attendance, sessions and ATARs, but has less evidence of broader outcomes for young people. Better evaluation would guide improvement and demonstrate impact to funders.
What HBE has planned
- Identify meaningful outcomes with scholars, families, tutors and schools.
- Develop a Theory of Change and programme logic.
- Create baseline and end-of-cohort surveys.
- Set up data collection and an accessible reporting dashboard.
- Undertake a costed Social Return on Investment (SROI) study.
How Opposite could help
- Research outcomes valued by students, families, tutors and schools.
- Develop a Theory of Change, programme logic and outcome measures.
- Design surveys and a manageable staff data-collection process.
- Build a dashboard for tracking and communicating findings.
- Conduct SROI, documenting valuation, assumptions and limitations.
Possible delivery
Opposite could deliver both the evaluation and the SROI study, documenting the methods, findings and assumptions for HBE and its funders.
HBE initiative 05 / 05HBE estimate · $30k
Commercial capability
HBE wants to grow paid Academy enrolments beyond word of mouth while keeping the family experience clear, trustworthy and connected to its mission of funding free scholarships.
What HBE has planned
- Engage an agency to build a sales CRM for leads and campaigns.
- Track lead sources and progress to enrolment.
- Automate follow-up with prospective families.
- Develop landing pages, resources and advertising content.
- Train staff in sales and paid advertising.
How Opposite could help
- Map the paying-family journey from awareness and enquiry through enrolment, learning and referral.
- Identify families’ needs, questions and trust points at each stage.
- Improve enquiry, enrolment and follow-up communications, processes and staff handovers.
- Translate insights into CRM and agency requirements aligned with HBE’s access mission.
- Define how the sales CRM and the operations CRM in initiative 01 relate, so one family is one record from first enquiry through to graduation.
Possible delivery
Opposite could shape the end-to-end paying-family experience, communications and supporting processes. A specialist sales and marketing agency could then develop campaigns and manage paid media.
Relevant experience
Four projects with a clear connection to HBE’s priorities.
Explore the challenge, Opposite’s role and the outcomes from comparable work in student experience, digital learning, organisational simplification and evidence-based change.
Select ‘The Challenge’ or ‘The Opposite’ to read each story.
PROJECT 01 / 04
GOTAFE
Student Experience Transformation
Research · journey mapping · co-design
RELEVANT TO HBE
Challenge
GOTAFE was undertaking a regional, organisation-wide transformation to improve student retention, completion, employment outcomes and brand reputation. Yet no one had a clear end-to-end view of what students actually experienced, making it difficult to decide where to focus improvements.
Opposite’s role
Opposite surveyed students, interviewed 91 students across three campuses, and conducted a mystery-shopper study in which team members enrolled in courses to experience the process first-hand. We brought the findings together in a four-stage journey map (Explore, Enrol, Study, Graduate), personas and an enrolment process map. Staff co-design workshops, including LEGO Serious Play, then shaped practical improvements to onboarding, career and industry information, and day-to-day ways of working.
Outcome
A phased, student-informed journey map and improvement strategy with initiatives ready to implement. GOTAFE later extended the work to student attraction and alumni reconnection.
Why it matters for HBE
Shows how HBE could connect its scholar and paying-family journeys to clearer operations, learning touchpoints and enrolment experiences.
PROJECT 02 / 04
Bendigo Kangan Institute
Customer Experience Blueprint
Customer journeys · service blueprinting
RELEVANT TO HBE
Challenge
Bendigo Kangan Institute, with more than 24,000 students across multiple campuses, departments and courses, wanted a consistent customer experience across its diverse services. Leaders needed one shared view of the journey to guide decisions for prospective and enrolled students as well as industry customers.
Opposite’s role
Opposite consulted staff, prospective students, current and past students, and industry partners, and reviewed customer experience survey findings. We mapped the end-to-end experience alongside the supporting processes, systems and performance measures. The work was consolidated into a practical Customer Experience Blueprint that leaders and teams could use when planning and evaluating service changes, rather than a journey map that simply sat on a shelf.
Outcome
A working blueprint linking experience improvements to student engagement, satisfaction, completion and advocacy, creating a consistent basis for service decisions and performance measurement.
Why it matters for HBE
A strong precedent for HBE’s “one Academy, two ways in” model: a shared experience blueprint before CRM, portal and commercial improvements are built.
PROJECT 03 / 04
Project Simplify
Workplace Complexity & Mental Health
Applied research · measurement · simplification
RELEVANT TO HBE
Challenge
As organisations grow, layers of systems and processes can create unnecessary complexity, affecting wellbeing, performance and creativity. WorkSafe Victoria’s WorkWell-funded, two-year project examined how to make that complexity visible and address its underlying causes.
Opposite’s role
Opposite worked with partners including Metro Trains Melbourne and Jemena to develop and test a method for assessing organisational complexity and its effects on people. The work combined consultation, organisational and wellbeing data, and physiological measures from wearable technology. It produced an evidence-based assessment and intervention approach to identify where complexity was accumulating and how work could be simplified.
Outcome
A measurable simplification approach subsequently applied to improve procedures and processes in organisations including GOTAFE, Sadleirs, Energy Queensland, MTM and Solstice Energy.
Why it matters for HBE
Relevant to HBE’s ambition to reduce manual coordination as student numbers grow, and to build evidence into decisions about what to improve.
PROJECT 04 / 04
Sadleirs
Risk-Based eLearning & Management System
Learning design · digital capability · systems
RELEVANT TO HBE
Challenge
Sadleirs operated in high-risk logistics, with policies, standards and learning spread across different places. New starters needed a reliable way to learn the organisation’s own expectations and procedures, rather than repeat live training or rely on generic materials.
Opposite’s role
Opposite rebuilt the management system, establishing policies, standards and practical supporting tools. We then developed a 14-module, risk-based eLearning suite covering topics such as fitness for work, heavy vehicle and rail freight safety, and related frontline risks. A SharePoint site brought the system documents and online learning together, making the material easier to find, use and maintain.
Outcome
An integrated management and online learning system with role-relevant, on-demand modules tied to the standards staff were expected to follow.
Why it matters for HBE
Shows how HBE could turn its own tutor and mentor capability standards into consistent, reusable induction and learning resources.
Next steps.
Exploring how HBE and Opposite could work together.
We would welcome a discussion about HBE’s priorities, funding and partners, and where Opposite could contribute.
This is an early discussion paper, not a fee proposal. If there is a fit, we can agree roles, outputs and milestones, aligned with HBE’s six-monthly reporting.
opposite.com.auSuggested next steps
01
Confirm funding, timing and HBE’s priority initiatives.
02
Identify where Opposite could add the most value.
03
Agree scope, roles and milestones, then prepare a fee proposal if HBE wishes to proceed.
Possible areas for exploration
Integrated operations:Scholar journey mapping, CRM options and portal design.
Unified pedagogy:Learning journeys, resources, portal design and pilot feedback.
Workforce capability:Digital induction, quality tools and staff learning platforms.
Impact measurement:Theory of Change, outcome measures, dashboards and SROI.
Commercial capability:Paying-family experience design, clearer enrolment and communications, with campaign delivery by a specialist agency.