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The pile of presents in the offices of Jordan Ramis earlier this month might have made it easy to mistake the Portland-area law firm for Santa’s workshop at the North Pole.

But the stacks of toys were just the results of an annual giving campaign that the firm tackles each holiday season in order to make Christmas wishes come true for local foster kids.

鈥淭hey send us a 鈥� pretty long list of all of the presents these kids have requested,鈥� Jordan Ramis Chief Operating Officer Beverly Root said. 鈥淭he last few years, we’ve been able to fulfill every one.鈥�

While collecting toys for foster kids is a regular December effort at Jordan Ramis, the firm also chooses a second charity each year to support. Although the second organization usually changes, some elements remain constant.

鈥淚t’s always something local, and it’s always something that resonates with the staff,鈥� Root said.

There’s also a good chance the way Jordan Ramis will go about supporting that second group will be unique.

During the recession, for example, the firm held an in-house Christmas party that featured an auction with items donated by the Jordan Ramis lawyers and administrative staff: a handmade quilt, a brunch at a staffer’s house, the donation of a weekend at a cabin in the mountains. One Jordan Ramis employee offered to teach scuba diving lessons to a highest bidder. The money raised from the auction that year was donated to a group that at the time ran a substance abuse hotline.

That auction also gave rise to another unique way that Jordan Ramis raises money each year. During the auction, the firm’s leaders came up with the idea of raffling off a pass that would allow the purchaser to wear blue jeans on any day that he or she didn’t have to meet with a client. The passes are now offered every year, with the purchase price set on a sliding fee based on employee salaries.

Trying to pick a nonprofit group to support can be overwhelming, so Root recommends narrowing the pool by asking people within one’s company or firm to provide input.

鈥淚f people are passionate about something, they know something about the agency,鈥� Root said. 鈥淚t’s a good vetting process.鈥�

Drumming up employee support once a charity is chosen doesn’t just benefit the selected organization, Root points out. Fundraising events and efforts can serve as great team-building exercises. One easy way to get employees excited about supporting a charity, Root suggests, is to have someone from the agency come in to talk directly to employees about the group and its mission.

鈥淚t becomes so real; people get personally affected by the story,鈥� Root said. 鈥�(They’ll be) so much more interested in getting involved.鈥�