The Naperville Park District has established itself as an innovative and savvy public organization in the eyes of residents and corporations alike following a period of turmoil that sullied its reputation.

In most businesses, when the cost of doing business goes up, it eventually gets passed on to the consumer. That works fine for private enterprises and public corporations, but for tax-based entities like municipal park districts, the solution is not so easy.

Since the 1995 inception of a tax cap, entities like the Naperville Park District no longer have the discretionary ability to raise taxes. Now, it may raise taxes annually by the rate of inflation, or 5 percent, whichever is less.

While taxpayers may not see this as a bad thing, it has made it more difficult for park districts to keep up with the rising costs of doing business.

Eventually, parks may begin to suffer.

The Naperville Park District realized that a decline in its parks was thus inevitable and at board meetings in 2001 it developed a plan to find non-traditional sources of revenue.

One key component was corporate partnerships.

In 2001, the district received aboput $35,000 in revenue from corporate

sponsorships. The board decided that this amount must increase to make up for lost operations funds and created a new staff position to deal directly with area businesses.

Since Erin McNulty took over as corporate relations manager, the corporate commitment has steadily grown and now accounts for $180,000 in revenue.

Companies like MidAmerica and Chipotle have increased their sponsorship and continue to re-sign with the park district.

“We have a 92 percent renewal rate with the companies that we work with,” said McNulty. “I’m very happy about that, because essentially companies are signing up for something that is not always specifically measurable like TV commercials or radio ads.”

The park district can track some exposure through traffic generated by its Web site and readership of its monthly newsletter, but most events, like athletic sponsorships or concerts, do not provide sponsors with specific data on their level of exposure.

Regardless of this, McNulty spent the first few years on the job extolling the virtues of public exposure through good will sponsorships.

“People want to know what a company is doing for the community,” said McNulty. “This is a way for those companies to show a public face and get some exposure.”

Many companies have seen an increased status within the community through working with the park district. In return, it has received more foot traffic in its parks and greater media exposure.

Its relationship with Chipotle in downtown Naperville is a prime example.

“We can’t see in specific dollars our return from working with the Naperville Park District, but we do know that when we give away free food, our sales go up,” said Bari Baskin, local store marketing generalist for Chipotle. “We are thrilled with our relationship with the park district. It is mutually beneficial.”

Baskin is referring to a promotion in early June that was dubbed “The Great Burrito Hunt” in which the park district hid 30 giant foil burritos in its parks. Residents were encouraged to seek out the burritos and turn them in to Chipotle for a deck of 56 cards that could be redeemed for free food.

The turnout and subsequent media exposure was better than expected. Each fake burrito was eventually claimed and numerous local papers reported on the event, generating buzz for the park district and Chipotle alike.

McNulty prides herself on providing sponsors with more than just a banner at an event.

“I want our sponsors to build their business with us,” said McNulty. “I don’t want them to just write me a check.”

To do this she supplies each sponsor with a detailed annual report, mapping out specific goals that were met, number of coupons redeemed or Web traffic generated.

“Companies want to maximize their partnership,” said McNulty. “They want the most bang for their buck.”

Another unique aspect to the park district’s corporate marketing strategy is sponsorship summits. Each year it holds a sponsorship summit where McNulty delivers a year-in-review address and sponsors are encouraged to interact and create cross-promotional opportunities.

This can increase a company’s exposure and keep down its cost, said McNulty.

“Not a lot of park districts do this, but it is important to get the sponsors together,” said McNulty. “The companies that participate enjoy it and get a lot out of it. It is just another way for them to generate more business.”

The Naperville Park District has been a magnet for public criticism in recent years, but officials believe that they have turned the corner and have begun to repair any past damage of public trust.

“You can ask 10 different people and get 10 different responses,” said McNulty. “What I do know is that in our summer surveys we are receiving a 90 percent approval rate from the residents so far.”

The surveys are handed out at events and so far the district has received “hundreds” of responses.

McNulty believes that the district will continue to expand its corporate revenue in the near future as Naperville continues to undergo changes.

“We will continue to build relationships with the business community and attempt to bring even more value to their partnerships,” she said.

Quick Facts:

Annual Budget: $31 million

Number of parks: 136

Number of acres managed or owned: 2,536

Golf courses: 2

Full-time/part-time employees: 102

Seasonal employees: 500-600