reVerb Communications
Stakeholder Engagement Services
For Organizations Navigating Complex Stakeholder Environments
reVerb Communications provides stakeholder engagement (sometimes called ‘interested parties’ engagement) and community relations services for organizations facing complex, multi-stakeholder challenges. We help infrastructure project owners, municipal governments, non-profit organizations, corporate clients, and community groups build stakeholder support across Alberta and Canada. We help project owners, developers, contractors, and engineering firms build community support, manage opposition, and maintain stakeholder relationships throughout project lifecycles.
Effective stakeholder engagement isn't optional when your success depends on public support, community acceptance, regulatory approvals, or stakeholder buy-in. Projects and initiatives face increasing scrutiny from communities, Indigenous groups, regulatory bodies, funders, boards, volunteers, media, and diverse stakeholder groups. How you engage these stakeholders determines whether your project moves forward smoothly or faces delays, cost overruns, and reputational damage.
We specialize in stakeholder engagement for complex environments where diverse interests, competing priorities, regulatory requirements, and public sentiment must align. From LRT construction and municipal infrastructure to non-profit campaigns, corporate change initiatives, and community development, we provide expertise that transforms stakeholder concerns into support.
Stakeholder Engagement & Community Relations
Stakeholder engagement and community relations for infrastructure, construction, and development projects. Strategic engagement that builds project support across Alberta and Canada.
Stakeholder Mapping & Engagement Strategy Development
Strategic stakeholder analysis, mapping, and engagement planning for infrastructure and development projects. Set your project up for success with comprehensive stakeholder strategies.
Public Consultation & Engagement
Public consultation services for infrastructure, development, and policy projects. Meet regulatory requirements, gather meaningful input, and build public support through strategic engagement.
Event Services & Public Meetings
Professional event planning and management for groundbreakings, grand openings, town halls, stakeholder events, and public meetings. Full-service coordination from concept to completion.
Featured Stakeholder Engagement Case Studies:
We don't deliver cookie-cutter engagement plans. Every project faces unique challenges, stakeholder dynamics, and success criteria.
reVerb Communications works as a strategic partner, not just a service provider. We invest time understanding your objectives, anticipating obstacles, and designing engagement strategies that align with how your project actually works—not how engagement is supposed to work in theory.
Our team combines:
Industry expertise in Alberta's construction, energy, infrastructure, and public sectors
Strategic communications that frames complex projects in accessible, compelling terms
Operational excellence in program execution, event management, and stakeholder coordination
Problem-solving that turns conflicts into productive dialogue
We're based in Edmonton but serve clients throughout Alberta and beyond. When you need more than communications support—when you need a partner who understands the stakes and delivers results—connect with reVerb Communications.
Brad Smid
Former LRT Project Delivery Director, City of Edmonton | Current Assistant Deputy Minister - Alberta Infrastructure
"reVerb was my trusted advisor and communications partner on the Valley Line LRT program for over a decade. Each and every day, reVerb showed up with expertise, creativity, business acumen and a passion for project success. reVerb always had the client’s best interests in mind when navigating the complex world of public communication, marketing and stakeholder engagement."
What Is Stakeholder Engagement?
Stakeholder (also known as interested parties) engagement is the systematic process of identifying, understanding, and communicating with individuals, groups, and organizations affected by or interested in your project, initiative, or organization. It's a two-way process that goes beyond information sharing to include listening, responding, adapting, and building relationships over time.
Effective stakeholder engagement:
Identifies all stakeholder groups (not just the obvious ones)
Understands their interests, concerns, and influence levels
Provides accessible, timely information
Creates meaningful opportunities for input and feedback
Responds to concerns and demonstrates how feedback shapes decisions
Maintains relationships throughout initiatives
Documents engagement activities for accountability
Stakeholder engagement applies to:
Infrastructure and construction projects (LRT, highways, facilities)
Municipal initiatives and policy changes
Non-profit campaigns and fundraising initiatives
Corporate change and transformation programs
Community development and facility projects
Organizational restructuring and mergers
Controversial decisions requiring community input
Long-term facility operations (energy, industrial, institutional)
Why Stakeholder Engagement Matters
Organizations that fail to engage stakeholders effectively face measurable consequences across all sectors:
Project & Initiative Delays Poor stakeholder engagement creates information vacuums that opposition fills. Communities, boards, funders, or employee groups lack context for decisions. Concerns escalate without response. Opposition emerges. Result: delayed approvals, stalled initiatives, costly redesigns, and lost momentum.
Regulatory & Approval Risks Many initiatives require stakeholder consultation. Infrastructure projects need environmental assessments and Indigenous consultation. Non-profits need funder and community support. Corporate changes need board and employee alignment. Municipal projects need council approval. Inadequate engagement jeopardizes approvals and support.
Reputational & Relationship Consequences Negative coverage—traditional or social media—affects organizational reputation. Opposition spreads quickly. Poor engagement damages relationships with communities, funders, partners, employees, and stakeholders. These relationships affect not just current initiatives but future opportunities.
Lost Support & Social License For ongoing operations—infrastructure facilities, community organizations, institutional presence, corporate operations—maintaining stakeholder acceptance is essential. Once lost, trust and social license are difficult to rebuild.
Financial & Fundraising Impact For non-profits, poor stakeholder engagement affects donor relationships and fundraising success. For corporate initiatives, stakeholder opposition increases costs and threatens budgets. For community projects, lack of support jeopardizes funding.
Conversely, Effective Engagement Delivers Value:
Initiatives stay on track through proactive issue management
Stakeholder feedback improves decisions and reduces costly changes
Strong relationships support current work and future opportunities
Positive reputation attracts talent, partners, donors, and support
Social license enables long-term success
Community support facilitates approvals and reduces opposition
Our Stakeholder Engagement Approach
reVerb Communications delivers stakeholder engagement that balances diverse interests, regulatory requirements, community expectations, and organizational objectives. We develop strategies tailored to your specific stakeholder landscape, organizational capacity, initiative phase, and goals.
Our Approach Principles:
1. Early & Proactive
We engage stakeholders before opposition forms, identify concerns before they escalate, and build relationships before decisions are final. Early engagement addresses issues when they're easier and less expensive to resolve—whether for infrastructure projects, non-profit campaigns, or organizational changes.
2. Multi-Channel & Accessible
Different stakeholders need different engagement methods. We use door-to-door outreach, street teams, community meetings, stakeholder roundtables, digital platforms, focus groups, surveys, hotlines, and ongoing liaison programs—meeting stakeholders where they are, not where it's convenient.
3. Genuine Two-Way Dialogue
We listen as much as we inform. We capture stakeholder feedback systematically, respond transparently, and demonstrate how input influences decisions. Even when we can't accommodate requests, we explain why and explore alternatives.
4. Culturally Appropriate & Inclusive
We design engagement that respects cultural contexts, accommodates accessibility needs, provides multilingual materials when needed, and ensures diverse voices are heard—not just the loudest or most organized stakeholders.
5. Sustained & Consistent
Engagement isn't one-time consultation—it's ongoing relationship management. We maintain consistent communication from planning through implementation to operations, adapting as initiatives evolve.
6. Documented & Defensible We provide comprehensive documentation that meets regulatory requirements (for projects that have them), supports decision-making, and creates defensible records demonstrating due diligence and accountability.
When to Engage Stakeholder Engagement Services: Situations Where External Expertise Delivers Value
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LRT, highway, and major transportation infrastructure requiring sustained communications
Multi-year construction projects with ongoing community and media interaction
Projects with significant public attention or organized opposition
Developments requiring regulatory approvals and public consultation
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Municipal infrastructure and public facility projects
Policy changes or service modifications affecting communities
Controversial decisions requiring stakeholder consultation
Public facility developments or relocations
Budget decisions and strategic planning with public input
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Major fundraising campaigns requiring stakeholder support
Strategic planning with member or community engagement
Facility projects or relocations (community centers, service facilities)
Controversial organizational decisions or changes
Community consultation for programming or service changes
Volunteer engagement and retention programs
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Major change initiatives requiring employee and stakeholder support
Facility projects in communities (new facilities, expansions, relocations)
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives
Mergers, acquisitions, or restructuring requiring stakeholder alignment
Stakeholder advisory committees for ongoing operations
Community relations for industrial or operational facilities
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Major events or festivals requiring community and stakeholder support
Venue projects or changes requiring consultation
Controversial programming or operational decisions
Long-term community engagement strategies
Partnership development and coalition building
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Campus development and facility projects
Policy changes affecting multiple stakeholder groups
Strategic planning with diverse stakeholder input
Crisis communications and stakeholder management
Community relations for institutional presence
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Your internal team lacks specialized stakeholder engagement capacity
The initiative faces organized opposition or significant concerns
You need credible third-party facilitation
Multiple diverse stakeholder groups require coordinated engagement
Specialized expertise required (Indigenous consultation, technical facilitation, etc.)
Regulatory requirements mandate independent consultation
Some of our CLIENTS
How We Help You Navigate Common Challenges
Challenge: "Our diverse stakeholder groups have conflicting interests"
Our Approach: We facilitate dialogue that acknowledges legitimate concerns from all sides, seek common ground where possible, help organizations make informed trade-off decisions, and communicate decisions transparently to all stakeholders.
Challenge: "We're facing organized opposition from the community"
Our Approach: We conduct rapid stakeholder assessment, identify key concerns and influencers, create responsive engagement programs, facilitate productive dialogue, and focus on rebuilding trust through transparency and genuine responsiveness.
Challenge: "We don't have internal capacity for sustained engagement"
Our Approach: We provide embedded, dedicated engagement support—from full-time community liaisons to surge capacity during peak periods. We integrate with organizational teams while bringing specialized engagement expertise.
Challenge: "Stakeholder consultation feels like a compliance exercise, not meaningful dialogue"
Our Approach: We design engagement that creates genuine opportunities for stakeholder influence, demonstrates how feedback shapes decisions, maintains ongoing communication (not one-time consultation), and builds trust through authenticity.
Challenge: "Our board/funders/employees need to be engaged but we're not sure how"
Our Approach: We develop tailored engagement strategies for specific stakeholder groups, use appropriate methods for each audience, manage sensitive communications, and build alignment while respecting organizational dynamics.
Challenge: "Community meetings become hostile or unproductive"
Our Approach: We provide professional facilitation that maintains respectful dialogue, ensures all voices are heard, keeps discussions focused on issues, and creates productive environments where concerns can be addressed constructively.
Build Community Support for Your Project
Effective stakeholder engagement transforms potential opposition into project support, prevents costly delays, and builds relationships that enable long-term success.
Whether you're planning a multi-year infrastructure project, seeking development approvals, navigating regulatory consultation requirements, or managing ongoing community relations, reVerb Communications provides the expertise that helps your project succeed.
Ready to discuss your stakeholder engagement needs?
Contact us to schedule a consultation.
Call: 1.833.711.3114
Serving: Canada-Wide, Headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta