Professional development should be accessible to everyone
Helping you build strong relationships between your organisation and the local community, while feeling confident, connected and supported
If your work involves engaging with local communities, you'll know there's far more to it than people often realise.
Balancing your organisation's priorities with the needs and expectations of local people can be challenging, particularly when you're dealing with competing demands, internal pressures or opposition to your organisation's plans. Building and maintaining positive community relationships takes time, understanding and good judgement.
Nia Avanna is here to support you with this. Through specialist consultancy advice and hands-on support, we can help you understand local communities, plan how to engage with them, help manage existing relationships and communicate changes that affect local people.
Alongside our consultancy services, we offer tools, resources and opportunities to help you build your skills and knowledge, strengthen your approach and look after your wellbeing, supporting your personal and professional development.
OUR VALUES
What we believe at Nia Avanna...
Connection with others in similar roles strengthens your approach
Your wellbeing matters
Strong relationships help organisations and communities thrive
Communities should feel informed and respected
Engagement with communities should be clear, honest and consistent
Ways to work with us
Working with organisations to understand the communities around them, develop approaches to communication and engagement, and build better relationships with local people.
A membership for people working in community engagement, social value, CSR and local communications who want to meet others, share experiences, learn from different perspectives and invest in themselves and their careers.
Nia Avanna exists to support people responsible for connecting businesses with their local communities
People who are new to community engagement
Professionals who want to feel more confident in their approach
Those who value connection, support and shared perspective from others in similar roles
Professionals responsible for managing relationships between their organisation and local communities
Those preparing for projects or changes that could affect local communities
People looking for experienced advice on community engagement, communications and stakeholder relationships
Experienced practitioners who want to keep developing their approach over time
MEET OUR FOUNDER:
I'm Emma Smith
the creator of Nia Avanna
I've spent more than a decade working in communications and community engagement across the public and private sectors. My career has taken me from supporting local policing teams to improve communication with residents, to leading community engagement across more than 400 sites for one of the UK's largest construction businesses.
Throughout my career, I've believed that organisations should take the time to understand the communities around them, communicate openly and respectfully, and build relationships based on mutual trust and understanding.
I've always enjoyed working in community engagement, particularly the people I've met, the relationships I've built and the opportunities to make a difference. I also know what it's like to work in organisations where colleagues don't always fully understand what's involved in engaging with local communities or the challenges that come with it. Having people around you who understand your experiences, who you can exchange ideas with, learn from and celebrate your successes with, can make a real difference.
I created Nia Avanna to bring together my experience and my belief in the importance of building positive relationships between organisations and communities. Alongside my consultancy services, I wanted to create somewhere people working in community engagement, social value and related areas could access support, develop their skills and knowledge, share experiences and learn from others who understand their role.
THE NEWSLETTER
Sign up to our newsletter to receive insights, reflections and recommendations to help you feel confident, connected, and supported in your role.
Each edition shares ideas and advice to support you both personally and professionally — whether you’re responsible for community engagement, social value, sustainability, volunteering, or local communications.
You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening at Nia Avanna, along with occasional updates on our products and services.
By signing up to our newsletter, you’ll also be added to the Nia Avanna mailing list, where we share insights, reflections and recommendations, along with updates about our products and services. You can unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy notice for terms and conditions and to learn how we protect your data.
The information provided on this website is general in nature and is for information only. The contents of this website does not represent nor is intended to be specific advice on any particular matter. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this website. Although we consider the source for this material reliable, Nia Avanna Limited disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this website.
