When HER Fund entered a period of leadership transition, it turned to Crateva for support – not only for its own team, but also for the grassroots groups it funds. We spoke with Jade and Felicia about what that work made possible.

“Through Crateva’s guidance, I gradually came to trust my own judgement and step into leadership with more clarity.”

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Jade
Acting Executive Director, HER Fund

Felicia
Assistant Programme Manager, HER Fund

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Can you tell us a little about HER Fund?

Jade: HER Fund is Hong Kong’s only community women’s fund. Established in 2004, it supports marginalised communities and organisations through grantmaking, capacity building and resource development.

What was happening at HER Fund when you first began working with Crateva?

Jade: There were two things happening at once. On one hand, we wanted to create space for our grantee partners to reflect on their own organisational development and identify practical next steps to strengthen their capacity and resilience.

At the same time, HER Fund was going through a leadership transition. Colleagues were stepping into management roles for the first time, and our project teams needed structured support to grow alongside them.

What did Crateva’s support look like in practice?

Felicia: Crateva designed three strands of support for us.

The first focused on the organisational development of HER Fund’s grantee partners and took the form of two workshops: one on organisational introspection, the other on leadership transition.

Most of our grantee partners are small grassroots NGOs with few staff, often volunteer-run and with minimal administrative capacity, yet they are under growing pressure from funders to demonstrate impact and compliance. Most organisational development tools are built for large organisations and simply do not transfer. Rather than applying a generic framework, Phoebe developed an organisational assessment tool shaped around the common challenges facing small groups, and structured the workshops so participants could learn from one another and identify concrete, feasible next steps.

The second workshop, on leadership transition, was led by Judy, who has played a key role in three major leadership transitions, including at HER Fund and at an international organisation. Drawing on that experience, she was able to hold a conversation that was both practical and deeply grounded in the realities of organisational change.

Jade: The other two programmes were for HER Fund’s staff. One was a Transformative Feminist Leadership (TFL) programme for the full team, and the other was a six-month programme for our grantmaking team.

The TFL programme brought the whole staff team together every two months, with leadership framed as a shared quality across the organisation rather than something reserved for people in formal leadership roles.

Alongside that, the grantmaking team took part in a six-month programme with fortnightly sessions on assessing applications, accompanying grantees, and strengthening our learning, monitoring and evaluation of grant projects. During that period, the team was also setting up Community Response Grants, a rapid disbursement mechanism for urgent needs, and Phoebe provided advisory support throughout.

What changed as a result?

Jade: For our grantee partners, the workshops made organisational development feel more possible and more relevant to their reality. Instead of being measured against standards designed for much larger organisations, they were able to reflect on what was realistic at their own scale, learn from one another, and identify practical next steps. That gave groups more confidence in their own capacity to grow. And the way the workshops were run – the peer learning, the conversation, the space for reflection – was itself a form of support. I think that is easy to overlook.

For HER Fund, the work also brought more structure to how we support our grantee partners. More broadly, it came at a time when we were navigating a major leadership transition of our own. As a team, we went through a period of uncertainty and self-doubt, with all the pressure that kind of change brings. In that vulnerable but deeply honest moment, Phoebe showed up with quiet steadiness and helped us find our footing. We did not just get through a difficult period – with her guidance and encouragement, we grew through it.

Felicia: For me personally, the regular contact with Phoebe gave me space to work out how my own strengths could translate into a management context. Before this, I genuinely was not confident I was the right person for the role. Phoebe created a non-judgmental space where I could think out loud without feeling assessed, and then respond with something practical and direct. Through Crateva’s guidance, I gradually came to trust my own judgement and step into leadership with more clarity.

What would you say to another organisation thinking about working with Crateva?

Felicia: One thing I would highlight is that the availability between sessions mattered more than I expected. Phoebe made clear from the start that we could reach her outside scheduled meetings. That continuity meant she always knew where things stood, and when something came up unexpectedly, the relationship was already there. It made it much easier to just pick up the phone.

Jade: What I valued most was that the support stayed close to what we were actually dealing with, not just at the level of frameworks. Phoebe draws on a strong experience base having worked with civil society groups and women's funds across the world, but she understands the context well enough to translate and adapt those references rather than apply them wholesale. That is what made the support feel useful at such a critical time. I would recommend Crateva to any leader navigating a transition, or any organisation that needs genuine accompaniment rather than generic advice.

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