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

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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

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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

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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

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#Innovate2030 – Scaling solutions for Sustainable Cities (SDG 11)

Client: GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit

Role: Project assistant

Timeline: January – April 2022

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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

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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

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Kickstarter DACH launch

Client: Kickstarter PBC

Role: Community lead

Timeline: April 2015 – June 2017

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Scaling social impact: Fundraising for intergenerational inclusion

Client: Vollpension Generationendialog GmbH

Role: Fundraising Lead

Timeline: September – November 2025

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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

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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

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KOMBI: Working together for more biodiversity in agriculture

Client: WWF 

On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S

Role: Project Lead

Timeline: November 2023 – March 2024

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The insightful guides for creative freelancers

Role: Self-published Author

Timeline: November 2013 – June 2017

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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

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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

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Sustainable camping vacations at Fehmarn

Client: Camper’s Friend GmbH

On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S

Role: Project lead

Timeline: July 2021 – February 2022

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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

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Interim Change Management

Client: Veganz AG

On behalf of: Create Meaning GmbH

Role: Head of marketing

Timeline: January – April 2018

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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

  • 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.

  • Together, we’ll identify what truly matters for your business or organisation and define a clear roadmap to achieve the intended results.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Get in touch

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