Diary of a Director: The First Six Weeks

izzyelton2
Aug 1
2 min read

Julie Smith from Netball Development Trust, takes us behind the scenes as she reflects on her first six weeks as their inaugural Director.

Before I start looking inwardly at what I’ve got up to in my first 6 weeks of employment, here’s a little about the amazing charity I’m working for...

Netball Development Trust uses netball as a tool to bring communities together; to play and educate; to use sport to deliver health education. We introduce the game of netball to children in developing countries who lack access to sports and opportunities. The relationships they then build with their netball coaches, allows delicate subjects, usually around sexual or mental health, to be discussed in a safe and honest space.

Until recently we were entirely volunteer run, for 14 years, until we met our incredible funder.

They saw a future in us, understanding that we needed funding for salaries before we could grow and work with more kids to impact more lives through netball. I am fortunate and honoured to be the first employee of NDT as of 23 June 2025, having been a volunteer since our inception in 2011.

I’m now 18 days into working for NDT and what can I tell you?

Mostly that one tiny idea leads to another, which leads to another and then you suddenly have a complex, challenging problem to unpick that wasn’t a quick task after all. I thought I’d “quickly apply to 5 funds” last week, but to get to that point I needed to do 101 other things first, all of which would take time and energy, using information I don’t yet have! Hmph. Frustrating? Yes.

Running a charity voluntarily for 14 years means you simply don’t have the time to start to unpick these bigger issues. Being employed means I do; so whilst they are challenging and require a whole lotta learning, they will be so worth it in the long run. Getting the proverbial ducks in the row is a very important job and one I need to do slowly and steadily (against my natural urge to tick things off the to do list!) with a view on the future as well as today.

In 18 days I’ve touched on charity insurance, VAT, laptops, fundraising approaches, project proposals from our Kenya team, met potential partners, budgets, risk register, met new volunteers, learned about constructing buildings in Kenya, strategic planning, updated social media and websites – all in all a pretty diverse and inspiring first few weeks.

Here’s to the next exciting and challenging 18 days and beyond.

Thank you to Julie for sharing her reflections with us. To find out more about Netball Development Trust, head to their website or find them on LinkedIn.

Got your own story to share? Send an email to amplifyteam@sidcn.org, or fill in the form at the bottom of this page.