How Vans Engaged More Than 18,000 Fans for Its Global Charitable Initiative

In November, footwear and apparel brand Vans hosted its third-annual Vans Checkerboard Day. Through its single largest philanthropic initiative, Vans supports global charities who share the mission of revitalizing public spaces through arts, sports, culture and social impact programming.

Groundswell partnered with Vans to create a new mural and hold open-source printmaking workshops for participants in Brownsville, N.Y.Photo: Courtesy of VansIn 2021, more than $1 million was donated by Vans and The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation to 20 regional charities and global partner DoSomething.org to support this goal. Consumers also donated a total of 5 million of Vans Family points through the brand’s app to raise an additional $25,000 for DoSomething.org scholarships.

Kristin Harrer, Vans’ global chief marketing officer, explained that the day provided the opportunity for fans to “participate in creative activations, experience why creativity matters for both mental and community health and longevity and give back to charities focused on uplifting creativity in their local communities.” She added that many of these communities and public spaces “had been somewhat neglected since March 2020 when the pandemic started.”

For 2021, the global partners were GoodPush, Groundswell, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, Colectivo Tomate, Nations Skate Youth, Dignity for Children, Another Way of Seeing, ArtDream, Skateboard Academy, Hackney Bumps, Juju Surf Club, Indigo Youth Movement, Girls in Film, Jukebox Collective and The Hub.

“Each of our 2021 charity partners were chosen based on where they operate, the role they play in revitalizing their communities and the impact they drive through the use of creative outlets such as art, skating, surfing, music and more,” Harrer said.

Nations Skate Youth in Vancouver hosted a skateboard beading, grip tape and painting workshop.Photo: Courtesy of VansFor example, Colectivo Tomate worked with the Mexico City community to transform a skatepark. Sustainable Coastlines created an interactive art piece about plastic pollution with the community in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, while completing a beach clean-up. Groundswell met at Middle School 664 in Brooklyn to create a mural and host a printmaking activation for kids and the community. And Girls in Film hosted its own mini film festival in London that included community screenings, industry discussions and a networking party. More than 18,000 brand fans participated in the daylong global event.

In addition to the IRL events, the brand also hosted a TikTok challenge, asking fans to showcase how they were getting involved in Vans Checkerboard Day. This may have been through a beach clean-up, skate session, photography lesson and more. “Garnering over 11 billion video views, the TikTok challenge was a great opportunity for us to not only drive awareness around the mission of Vans Checkerboard Day but it also enabled our fans to share the ways in which they were leveraging creativity to better their local communities,” Harrer said.

For Vans Checkerboard Day, global partners hosted experiences for local communities centered around arts, sports and culture.Photo: @kimwoozy

Sustainable Coastlines created an interactive art piece about plastic pollution with the community in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, while completing a beach cleanup.Photo: Courtesy of Vans