. Passion and Commitment

Great volunteers have passion and a deep and genuine belief in the worth of what they’re trying to accomplish.

2. Reliability and Accountability

When you know that you can count on someone to show up and do their best, that’s reliability. People who are willing to step up hold themselves accountable.

3. Adaptability and Flexibility

Every volunteer brings with them talents and skills that offer opportunities to help build, strengthen or enhance a program. Since volunteers often help in any number of roles in diverse settings, conditions can change from occasion to occasion or even from moment to moment. Great volunteers are willing to serve wherever, and however they’re needed.

4. Empathy and Compassion

Empathy is the ability to connect with others by understanding at a personal level how they might feel about, think about or view a certain situation. It’s the ability to relate to others and their experiences authentically, without judgment. Empathy often stirs deep emotion within us, and the resulting urge to help in some way is what compassion is all about. Apply those concepts to a volunteer scenario, and you’ll rapidly see why individuals who genuinely want to understand and help others are so highly valued. Empathy and compassion are the foundation of kindness and respect for others regardless of background or identity and the genuine desire to make a positive impact in other people’s lives.

5. Communication and Understanding

Strong communication skills rely on dual skill sets—the ability to take in information accurately and the ability to share information appropriately.

• Great volunteers are committed to using all of their senses to listen, observe and understand what they’re seeing, being told or experiencing. They’re thoughtful, carefully considering the implications of what they’re perceiving or how a set of instructions, for example, applies to what they do. More, they ask questions when they’re not sure if they understand.

6. Problem-Solving and Initiative

Volunteers have the ability to bring unique perspectives and solutions to an organization. A critical part of problem-solving and initiative—and communication and understanding—is the willingness to ask questions. Great volunteers don’t hide their talents but offer their full potential.

7. Resilience and Perseverance

Becoming proficient at tasks and procedures takes time. While some experts say that mastering a skill takes 10,000 hours, others argue for a mere 20 hours. The point is, however, that confident expertise is rarely immediate. In the timeframe between novice and expert lie learning experiences fraught with mistakes, misunderstandings, imperfections and failures. Volunteers may encounter initial resistance to their ideas, or an accepted practice may not seem the best option to fresh eyes. Understanding why or how things are done the way they are may take time. Being able to bounce back from disappointment and just keep trying will eventually bring mastery and acceptance as part of the team.