Leon Reiner, founder and managing director of Impact Hub Berlin, shares learnings and insights on community building that make impact work.
Imagine pouring your heart into building a community—only to watch it struggle, stagnate, or even fall apart. With more than ten years of pioneering experience, Impact Hub Berlin‘s purpose is to empower impact-driven businesses by providing them with the resources they need to succeed through coworking and programs. We are fostering a thriving ecosystem of changemakers, entrepreneurs, and innovators.
But here’s the truth: community building isn’t just about good intentions. It’s a delicate balance of structure and spontaneity, vision and adaptability. And along the way, we’ve learned just as much from our failures as from our successes.
So, what doesn’t work? And how can you avoid the common traps that turn a promising network into a missed opportunity? Whether you’re leading a coworking space, an innovation hub, or a professional network, these hard-earned lessons will help you create a community that truly drives impact. Here’s what we’ve learned about avoiding common pitfalls and the 6 key factors that ensure that collaboration remains a key driver of success.
#1 Start with understanding your community
If you don’t know who your members are, what they care about, and what they actually need, you’re building on shaky ground. There’s a Dutch saying: “Een goed begin is het halve werk”—a good start is half the work. Nowhere is this truer than in community building.
At Impact Hub Berlin, we rely on tools like the Community Canvas to map out and structure this understanding. The key? Stop guessing. When you truly know your community, you create events and experiences that resonate—rather than just hoping they will.
#2 Avoid the four classic event planning biases
Even with the best intentions, we tend to fall into one of these common traps:
- Personal Bias – “I love this concept, so they will too.”
- Legacy Bias – “This worked last year, so let’s do it again.”
- Generalization Bias – “One member said this would be great, so the entire community must want it.”
- Hype Bias – “This topic is trending—success guaranteed!” We’ve learned this lesson firsthand.
Take our Kaffee & Kuchen event: a 30-minute check-in where members share updates while enjoying homemade cake. In-person, it works like magic. But when COVID hit, we assumed it would transition seamlessly to Zoom. It flopped. A classic case of personal bias. Another time, we invited a legal expert for a workshop after one member requested legal support. The result? A single sign-up – generalization bias in action.
#3 Two-way conversations are key
The key to a thriving community? Real dialogue. Listening. Meaningful conversations. When your community is small, this happens naturally—over coffee chats and casual check-ins. But as it grows, you need scalable ways to stay connected.
At Impact Hub Berlin, we rely on an annual member survey—part of a global Impact Hub initiative. It feeds into our Global Impact Report and, more importantly, shapes our local strategy. It helps us see what’s working, what’s not, and what our members truly need.
#4 Use data-driven, community-led decision making and AI
Survey results help us prioritize. Here’s what happened when we listened to our members:
- More Call Booths → We repurposed underused office space to create private call areas.
- Peer-to-Peer Learning → We launched the ‘Feed-Forward’ format, encouraging member support.
- Funding Access → We partnered with VDI/VDE to pilot our Impact Investor Community.
- More Social Events → We co-created the Impact Hub Berlin Nature Retreat, a weekend in Brandenburg.
- Accelerator and incubator programs that are tailored to our community’s needs → We recently launched the Climate Action Accelerator to support impact entrepreneurs and organizations driving real environmental impact. Through expert mentorship, funding opportunities, and a strong community, we help turn climate solutions into reality. Applications are still open.
- AI for impact → With the release of our Trend Report: AI for Inclusive Climate Action, we are exploring new ways to leverage AI to drive impactful solutions
#5 Be transparent, co-create and stay flexible
Sharing survey results isn’t just about accountability—it’s about inclusion. We make insights accessible, ensuring our community sees the impact of their feedback. This fosters trust and a sense of ownership.
Of course, even data-driven decisions aren’t always perfect. Some events flop and that’s fine. Community management is an ongoing experiment. Sometimes, a smaller-than-expected turnout just means more meaningful conversations—and more cake for those who showed up.
#6 Final thoughts: listen, learn and have fun
Community building isn’t about perfect planning—it’s about continuous learning. The best strategies come from open dialogue, shared ownership, and a willingness to adapt. So, to anyone trying to build a thriving community: talk to your members, challenge your assumptions, and enjoy the process. And if all else fails? At least you’ll have snacks.
Feeling inspired to join our impact community? Check out our memberships and we also currently have offices for rent. So if you are an impact-driven person or organization, come and check us out here.
We are running our Open House Week, where anyone can work from our space and attend an amazing event both – and the best: it’s for free!
ABOUT IMPACT HUB BERLIN
Impact Hub Berlin is the award-winning innovation hub that helps impact driven businesses to succeed.
Through PROGRAMS for startups, corporates and public organizations and COWORKING and events for impact professionals, Impact Hub Berlin empowers entrepreneurs and innovators to make impact work.
As part of the largest global network of impact innovators, with hubs in over 110 locations across more than 65 countries and a network of over 320,000 changemakers, Impact Hub Berlin unites a unique ecosystem of accelerators and tailored programs focused on inclusive and sustainable innovation, combining global reach with local influence. Let’s make impact work together!
Get more information here.
