Ent Federal Credit Union broke a personal record this year for charity, raising $124,516 for the United Way. But it didn't ask its members for the money. Donations were collected solely from employees, via payroll deductions and internal fundraising.

During the annual campaign, all 611 employees of the Colorado Springs-based credit union were emailed a link to the payroll department of the company's intranet, from which they could choose a variety of ways to contribute. Individual employees' donations ranged from $5 per paycheck to more than $1,000 over the course of the year, and Ent recognized the top contributors with a special "Leaders in Giving" breakfast. Employees could even choose to donate some of their paid time off to the charity. Until employees took the time to decide whether to sign up for the payroll deduction or explicitly decline to participate, they received periodic e-mail reminders spurring them to action, and in this way the credit union managed to raise about $100,000 of the total amount donated this year.

The $3 billion credit union found creative ways to raise the rest of the money, according to Barb Winter, Ent FCU's senior vice president of organizational resources. In addition to fundraising barbecues, bake sales and dress-down days, she explained, the credit union also hosted a gift basket contest. Each service center and department created a gift basket with a unique theme, such as "Family Game Night" or "The Ultimate Man Cave," to be judged by local United Way representatives and then auctioned off online. Senior management did its part to help by serving food at the credit union's annual fundraising breakfast.