Over the past decade, I’ve collaborated with mission-driven brands, creative communities, and global organizations to build meaningful, scalable, and sustainable change.
From leading teams through transitions to designing strategies that connect people with purpose, these selected references reflect my interdisciplinary experience across sectors and cultures. Below, you’ll find a curated selection organized by area of focus.
Civic engagement
Only a few understand policy and scientific papers. To achieve systems change, we must bring theory to life and let people experience a new normal. My work focuses on making circular economy concepts tangible – through citizen activations, campaigns, and large-scale events and always with the goal of resource circularity and zero waste.
Lange Tafeln: Neighborhood conversations across Berlin-Neukölln
Client: Bezirksamt Neukölln, Stabsstelle für Dialog und Zukunft
On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S
My role: Project lead
Timeline: December 2023 – June 2024
Schön wie wir: Making sustainability part of everyday life in Neukölln
Client: Bezirksamt Neukölln
On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S
Role: Communications Coordinator & Content Creator
Timeline: April 2021 – March 2022
Frag nach Mehrweg: Keep your hood looking good with reusables
Client: Bezirksamt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S
Role: Concept, reporting
Timeline: December 2021 – November 2022
Tag des guten Lebens 2021: What is the good life?
Client: Bezirksamt Neukölln, Stabstelle Dialog und Zukunft
On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S
Role: Project lead
Timeline: July – October 2021
#Innovate2030 – Scaling solutions for Sustainable Cities (SDG 11)
Client: GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
Role: Project assistant
Timeline: January – April 2022
Community engagement & fundraising
Impact doesn’t always follow the best business model. Yet capital is essential to scale it. That’s where communities can step in to support founders and their initiatives for greater good. I help activate communities of purpose-driven brands, expand businesses in the DACH region, and fundraise for social impact.
€500,000 crowd-financed for social impact
Client: Vollpension Generationendialog GmbH
Role: Fundraising Lead
Timeline: June – September 2025
LifeStart by Virgin Money: From idea competitions to paid internships
Client: Virgin Money & Virgin StartUp
On behalf of: HANZO STUDIO SL
Role: Community Strategist
Timeline: January – December 2018
Kickstarter DACH launch
Client: Kickstarter PBC
Role: Community lead
Timeline: April 2015 – June 2017
Scaling social impact: Fundraising for intergenerational inclusion
Client: Vollpension Generationendialog GmbH
Role: Fundraising Lead
Timeline: September – November 2025
Impact narratives & storytelling
Impact is more than a buzzword – it’s a direction. I’ve worked on shaping sustainability strategies, organizational values, and communication frameworks that not only meet targets but inspire lasting cultural and behavioral change. Many of these projects are grounded in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Neukölln’s bulk waste has its price
Client: Bezirksamt Neukölln,
On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S
My role: Project Lead
Timeline: July – September 2021
Sustainability at Hof Leutenecker
Client: Hof Leutenecker – Jürgen & Christa Leutenecker GbR
On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S
Role: Project Lead, Workshop Facilitator & Consultant
Timeline: April 2021
KOMBI: Working together for more biodiversity in agriculture
Client: WWF
On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S
Role: Project Lead
Timeline: November 2023 – March 2024
The insightful guides for creative freelancers
Role: Self-published Author
Timeline: November 2013 – June 2017
The Impact of a Donut: Brammibal’s first sustainability report
Client: Brammibal’s Donuts GmbH
On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S
Role: Project Lead, Strategist & Copywriter
Timeline: January – October 2023
Sustainable community spaces
When creating spaces, I focus on how hierarchies and behaviours are shaped by the built environment. I have consulted architects and founders with a special emphasis on community, flexible work, and integrated sustainability measures.
HoCoSo: Designing hospitality for human connection
Client: HCS Hospitality Consulting Solutions LLC GmbH
Role: Community & Experience Consultant
Timeframe: Since April 2024
Sustainable camping vacations at Fehmarn
Client: Camper’s Friend GmbH
On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S
Role: Project lead
Timeline: July 2021 – February 2022
Leadership Case Studies
Over the past decade, I’ve collaborated with mission-driven brands, creative communities, and global organizations to build meaningful, scalable, and sustainable change. From leading teams through transitions to designing strategies that connect people with purpose, these selected references reflect my interdisciplinary experience across sectors and cultures. Below, you’ll find a curated selection organized by area of focus.
NEW STANDARD.S – A bold attempt to rethink agency business from the inside out
Client: NEW STANDARD.STUDIO GmbH
Role: Co-founder & Head of strategy
Timeframe: September 2020 – April 2025
Interim Change Management
Client: Veganz AG
On behalf of: Create Meaning GmbH
Role: Head of marketing
Timeline: January – April 2018
I believe the most effective strategies are the ones that start with people, not just policies. That’s why I always look for individual, context-specific solutions that put the human at the center – whether it’s a team member, a user, or a community. I thrive not by sketching ideas in theory, but by shaping solutions that can be meaningfully implemented in practice. Because real impact doesn’t live in the deck – it shows up in what we build, change, and make possible together.
What I do
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I co-create, collaborate, and design participatory formats to scale impact. By aligning values and bringing like-minded people together, I make seemingly impossible projects possible.
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Together, we’ll identify what truly matters for your business or organisation and define a clear roadmap to achieve the intended results.
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Good storytelling educates, inspires, and brings a fresh perspective to topics that may have been overlooked. Most of all, it doesn’t require an enormous budget and works equally well for municipalities, NGOs, and impact brands.
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I LOVE public tenders because they let me imagine how the world could be – and then, once a tender is secured, turn that idealism into action. Whether it’s biodynamic agriculture or a zero-waste neighborhood, the work may begin with a successful tender but ends with a cleaner neighborhood. That’s the goal.
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From intimate community gatherings to zero-waste, low-emission, large-scale street festivals, I’ve always loved hosting and organizing events that let people experience a subject firsthand. I don’t want to tell people; I want to show them – so they tell others.
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To me, strategy is only ten percent of the magic. It requires a strong idea, but without following through to execution and measuring success, a strategy paper is worthless. My work doesn’t end with the strategy; it ends with a scalable pilot or MVP.
I collaborate with municipalities, social impact organizations, and brands that want to understand sustainability beyond theory – and implement it in practice. My work supports organizations that are serious about creating measurable impact while remaining economically and socially resilient.
I’ve worked with clients such as:
Let’s work together
hello@nikavanolst.com
+49 1 777 94 29 73