Rishaad Aït El Moudden

I’m the Trust Fundraising Manager at Scottish Opera, Scotland’s national opera company and the largest performing arts organisation in the country. I lead on fundraising from grant-making bodies and manage relationships with over 60 active trusts and foundation funders each year. I also lead on evaluation for many of the Company’s outreach, education and community projects.

I attended NAFS shortly after starting my first permanent role in the arts. I had limited experience of fundraising but a responsibility for all areas, so I needed a comprehensive grounding. The programme gave me the practical skills, strategic insight and inspiration to grow the income of the organisation, particularly the importance of individual giving. After NAFS I could immediately get to work on a capital campaign and relaunching a membership scheme. These initiatives helped to triple the size of our donor base, secure a big National Lottery Heritage Fund award and raise more donations in one year than the amount raised in the prior four years combined. Thanks to NAFS, I’ve now raised over £3 million for arts organisations and can support other organisations with my fundraising skills as a Trustees.