How to Get and Keep the Best Volunteers

Skills vs Heart

We all want highly skilled volunteers. We all need highly skilled volunteers. We can’t do this by ourselves, and when we aren’t in the room we want to know with absolute certainty that what is happening is being done the best way that it can be done. So what we usually do is look for the people who are highly skilled in that area. It is a really good strategy, but if you just look for competence then you are missing the bigger picture. The thing that you want to look for above anything else when you are building a team is heart. Hopefully you won’t have to choose between skills and heart, but if you do, choose heart every time. Why? 

Skills can be taught.
People can be trained! Yes it means work for you as a leader, but training people who love what they do is much better than dealing with someone who is good but hates it. If people have a servants heart and love what they are doing, they won’t mind training, in fact they will welcome it. We all want to be better at what we love. So surround yourself with people who are teachable and you will have a great team much quicker than you might think.

Hearts are hard to change.
The heart is much harder to teach. It is very difficult to teach someone who knows everything already. When a person’s heart is not into what they are doing, everyone can tell. It doesn’t matter how skilled a person is if they have no love for what they are doing. They may need a break, or they may just need to be removed from the team. It is one of the hardest things to do, but it is the best thing that you can do for your team.

Attitude is contagious.
Attitude, both good and bad, is contagious. You can tell when a team loves what they are doing because how they talk about what they are doing changes. Instead of hearing, ‘I have to work today,’ you will hear this phrase: ‘I get to work today!’ The difference is massive. A negative attitude filters down not just to the other volunteers but to the people you are serving as well. As the leader, it is your job to protect the hearts and attitudes of your people. This may mean letting someone take a break for a time (or permanently). 

Proverbs 4:23 says, ‘Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.’ As leaders we have to guard our hearts, but we also have to guard the hearts of those we lead. You will find that a team full of people whose hearts are full of joy because of what they are doing will attract those who are skilled as well. Set your expectations high, not just for skills, but for heart, and God will bless you, your volunteers, and the people you serve. 

Enjoy the Journey