Charities involved in the arts proved that their donors just keep coming back for more, and it was no different for the Empire Arts Center. Coming in third place for Donor Retention, they drew on some of these past supporters’ stories for their Giving Hearts Day campaign.

“Memories Like This” was an email and video marketing campaign specifically tailored to communicate with past donors and draw on their past involvement. Similarly, they created a “My Empire” video series, where both audience members and performers recounted specific moments at the Empire Arts Center that were meaningful to them. Check out Blue and Lisa’s stories below!

When it comes to audience members and performers, it certainly isn’t a small pool to choose from. The arts center sees 400 performers and 30,000 audience members yearly. It serves as a place to share in art and culture, lighting up the community in a literal and metaphorical sense. In a literal sense, as the Empire’s marquee shines bright on downtown Grand Forks’ main street. Metaphorically, art provides a shared community where people go to be entertained, to suspend disbelief, and surround themselves with others who have shared interests.

The Empire Arts Center’s mission is to promote culture and lifelong learning by presenting their own artistic programming while providing a distinctive, welcoming venue for the arts, businesses, and community of the upper Red River Valley. But their service to the community goes even beyond that. It’s also an affordable venue with a variety of spaces to utilize for everything from performances to birthday parties, weddings, and more.

For everything from performances to personal social gatherings, the Empire Arts Center aims to unlock the creative minds of the community all within a single space.

GHD Awards are co-sponsored by Bush Foundation and Dakota Medical Foundation.