Tips for Making the Most of a Supporter’s Extra Effort for a Nonprofit Cause

No matter how big the charity, working with volunteers who embark on an arduous, sometimes weekslong athletic event to raise money for a cause can bring opportunities as well as concerns.

Nonprofit officials who have supported these “extreme volunteers” say it’s essential to ensure the volunteer’s often highly personal motivation jibes with the charity’s mission, that his or her plans are well thought out and realistic, and that everybody involved is communicating regularly.

Experts offer the following tips for dealing with people who bring them proposals for extreme fundraising events:

Protect the charity’s reputation. “When you associate with someone undertaking a major challenge, they’re using your brand,” says David Hessekiel, founder of the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council, an organization in Rye, N.Y., for fundraisers who manage athletic events. “Yes, they are doing this incredible effort on your behalf, but it’s legitimate to say, ‘You’re going to get publicity while you’re using our name, so here are some things that are important to us.’”

Because the extreme volunteer’s event will result in high visibility for the charity, officials need to heed signs of trouble early. For example, a warning sign might be “when the person doesn’t want to sit down and talk through their idea, they just want to go do it,” says Susan Ellis, head of Energize, a consultancy in Philadelphia that focuses on volunteerism.

“Even the person who perceives themselves doing something alone, like running across the country—there’s no such thing as alone in this. You need people to help logistically. The person who really wants to make an impact is happy to have support thinking this through.”

Meeting more than once to map out logistics allows the organization to get well acquainted with the person who wants to embark on an extreme fundraising event. “Over time, you’d start to see if there were any issues of concern,” says Ms. Ellis.

Take control of donations. One key decision, says Ms. Ellis, is to be very clear about how money is going to be collected and where it is going to go. “It’s best if charities are simply in charge of receiving contributions directly,” she says. “Frankly, most of these people are going to be deeply focused on the challenge itself and happy to not have to manage donations.”

Consider a waiver. Charity experts say extreme volunteers don’t pose a legal worry since they are pursuing their venture independently and at their own risk, even if sanctioned by the charity. However, says Mr. Hessekiel, “a simple written statement that they are undertaking this of their own free will and their own liability, if anything should befall them, is a reasonable thing to ask for and creates a safety layer between the volunteer and the charity.”

Show confidence. Once a volunteer passes his or her vetting, say experts, the charity should be fully supportive. In the experience of Sheila Kelly, top fundraiser at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, stumbling blocks do not often arise in dealing with extreme volunteers.

“We’ve found, honestly, that most people’s intentions are truly good, and it’s been rare that we’ve had to step in to say that we are uncomfortable with how something is proceeding,” she says. “Once you’ve established that they have strong ties to your charity, if you’ve seen they’re physically able to undertake their initiative, then basically you just can turn them loose.”

Spread the word. What charities can do for an extreme-volunteer event varies according to both the project and the charity’s resources, experts say. “You provide the support that makes sense and that you have available,” says Ms. Ellis, who suggests letting the volunteer blog about his or her effort on the charity’s Web site and, if appropriate, helping that person contact the nonprofit’s affiliates along the route to maximize local connections.

Follow through. “Even after the event takes place, you can keep benefiting,” says Sandy Henshue, special-events coordinator at Gilda’s Club Madison, a charity in Wisconsin that offers emotional support to cancer patients. “If the person does speaking engagements about their endeavor, you can ask to have someone from your charity go along to do a two-minute presentation about your mission.” Also, she adds, be sure to give a public expression of thanks and appreciation for the volunteer’s dedicated effort.