Employees from Quicken Loans used a combination of creative, out-of-the-box fundraising incentives and good old-fashioned hard work to raise more than $106,000-which was then doubled to $212,000 by Rock Ventures-for the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy in less than one month this summer.

That's not all, though. Rock Ventures, which is the umbrella organization for companies owned by Dan Gilbert, made a $1 million corporate donation to the Conservancy as well, bringing the total to more than $1.2 million.

In early May, employees of Quicken Loans launched a brick, paver and bench campaign to raise money for the Conservancy. Almost 1,000 employees participated, purchasing more than 480 bricks, 40 pavers and six benches.

To have fun and encourage playful competition among colleagues, employees came up with some creative incentives to augment and accelerate their fundraising efforts.

Examples of their efforts include:

• A special promotion with a local restaurant in which a percentage of the total bill was donated to the conservancy on certain days

• A 50/50 raffle that saw proceeds go to the Conservancy and the other half to the winning ticket holder

• The option for automatic payroll deductions

• Casual dress days

• Auctioning of premium parking spots

• Using "before and after" photos in E-mail communications to highlight the transformation along the riverfront

Faye Nelson, President & CEO of the Conservancy, was impressed with not only the significant amount of money that was raised through the work of the employees, but also with the short amount of time in which it was raised. "This effort is an excellent example of how individuals come together to make a meaningful difference," Nelson said. "A special thanks to Quicken Loans CEO Dan Gilbert and Conservancy Board Chair Matt Cullen for their generosity in making this donation possible."

To celebrate their successful fundraising efforts, more than 2,000 employees and their families and friends came out for a sneak peak of Detroit River Days during "Quicken Loans Family Night" in June. Employees were able to view the bricks, pavers and benches they had purchased and were treated to carnival rides, Diamond Jack boat tours and a sneak peak at the event before it opened to the public that weekend.