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Consultant outlines naming-rights campaign; policy 702.2 moved to consent for vote
Summary
Consultant Greg Cooper described a multi-phase naming-rights and sponsorship program for district facilities, emphasizing community participation, transparency and a multi-tier pricing structure; the board's naming-rights policy (702.2) was placed on the agenda for approval next week.
Greg Cooper of Sutansom Strategies gave the board a detailed presentation on establishing a naming-rights and sponsorship program for Bethel Park School District facilities and programs.
Cooper, introduced by Superintendent Doctor Walsh, said selling naming rights is “not about naming rights. It's about building a sense of community through participation.” He described the work as a multi-step process that often takes 18 to 24 months and requires an inventory of sponsorship opportunities, a pricing structure, marketing materials, and centralized stewardship. Cooper said the work can include high-dollar naming-rights packages and a broader set of smaller, programmatic sponsorships to let many local residents and businesses participate.
Examples Cooper gave included selling naming rights to a STEM center or individual laboratories, program-level sponsorships for robotics or extracurricular teams, and lower-tier recognition for smaller donors (he cited an example of a $2,500 sponsorship stretched over three years for local recognition). He also recommended policies around transparency, stewardship, and protections—such as rejecting sponsorships that would be illegal for a child to engage with and maintaining control over brand usage.
Cooper advised that district leaders should lead the community messaging (he said community leaders lend “authenticity”), while a consultant or campaign manager would execute outreach, qualify prospects and manage negotiations. He emphasized repeated recognition and digital/marketing benefits beyond placing a sign on a stadium; sponsors expect multi-channel engagement and ongoing acknowledgement.
The policy committee reported that Policy 702.2 on naming rights would be on the consent agenda for approval next week; board members voted to move that policy onto next week’s agenda for final approval.
Cooper offered to run a discovery phase, develop marketing and pricing materials and help execute guided rollouts with biweekly status reports if the district engages his firm. There was no formal procurement decision at this meeting.
