Introducing Emma Smith: Your guide to transforming community engagement and building lasting connections

At Nia Avanna, we believe that authentic community engagement is the key to building trust, resolving local issues, and creating positive, long-lasting relationships. Our founder, Emma Smith, shares her journey and why she created a Nia Avanna to help organisations implement effective strategies that make a difference. 

Finding purpose in community engagement 

Before starting in community engagement, I spent over a decade in recruitment. While I succeeded in my role, I felt conflicted when business decisions prioritised profit over people. It was a turning point that made me re-evaluate my career and my values. 

Without a clear plan for what was next, I took a temporary role in the public sector, managing a call centre team that carried out surveys on victims of crime. I was responsible for overseeing the team and collating the information gathered, which gave me insight into how data can help shape services and policies to meet community needs. This role sparked my interest in how organisations interact with the public and the importance of listening to the community. 

After travelling to Costa Rica, I returned to another temporary role in the public sector as a secretary. Shortly after, I applied for a permanent communications position. Despite my lack of direct experience, I knew my skills were transferable, and I was successful in securing the role. That’s when my career in community engagement truly took off. 

I spent my early years writing press releases, managing social media, and training local teams to tailor their communication strategies to the unique needs of the communities they served. Over time, I became adept at creating robust engagement strategies that focused on building real connections. 

This experience showed me that community engagement isn’t just a box ticking exercise —it is a vital part of business success. As I moved into the private sector, it became clear that organisations could no longer afford to ignore their role in creating positive social outcomes. Societal expectations around corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, and the public sector procurement requirement to create social value meant businesses were becoming increasing required to positively contribute to the communities around them. 

How community engagement drives business success 

At Nia Avanna, we have seen how proactive community engagement can benefit businesses across industries. Whether you are resolving local concerns, building a stronger customer base, or enhancing your company’s reputation, engaging with the community leads to better outcomes for everyone involved. 

But here’s the catch: doing the right thing for the wrong reasons — like engaging just for positive PR — does not work. Communities can see through insincerity, and this erodes trust, making future efforts even harder. That is why we focus on helping businesses develop engagement strategies that are rooted in compassion, respect, and collaboration. 

Why Nia Avanna? 

I created Nia Avanna to help businesses — whether large corporations or small local enterprises — navigate the process of how to engage with their communities. We understand that starting from scratch can feel overwhelming. That is where we come in. We guide you through developing a strategy that fits your unique business goals while making a positive impact on the communities you operate in. 

Our resources, including online courses and advisory services, are designed to help you implement your strategy effectively and consistently. We know that when community engagement is done right, it benefits your business in ways you might not have even imagined — by strengthening relationships, resolving conflicts, and creating loyalty. 

Ready to make a difference? 

At Nia Avanna, we are dedicated to empowering businesses to engage with purpose, contribute to their communities, and create lasting, positive change. Our strategies are built on compassion, inclusion, and trust because we know that these are the foundations of the most successful engagement efforts. 

If you are ready to explore how community engagement can benefit your business and the community around you, sign up for our mailing list. You will receive actionable tips, insights, and free resources to help you build a strategy that drives success for both your business and your community. Plus, be the first to access our upcoming Community Engagement Starter Kit, designed to make it easy for any business to get begin engaging with their community. 

Join our community today and take the first step toward making a difference!