I recently got this question from a co-worker:

"How do you tell unqualified volunteers they don’t have what it takes? Or don’t you tell them and hope they burn out? Or do you find very menial jobs for them? This is the conundrum that prevents me from taking on team members. I usually invest a year into training someone but if they aren’t cut out for it…it seems like a painful waste of time. Any ideas?"

In reply, my first question is usually, what makes them unqualified? Is it unwillingness or an inability to learn the material? Is it not showing up to training times or service times? These are the two most common reasons I have found through my experience.

For the first question about learning the material, I examine my approach to training. For instance, I've had one person who wasn't catching on, I was ready to write him off, then I learned he retained information if I wrote it down. This required some extra work and a revising of my style of training. I tend to very hands on, very on the job. That volunteer needed the info written down for him to absorb slowly in between training times. My end result, he is still with me 3.5 years later and serving as a trainer for some of the new folks.

If it is a time issue, I usually get involved with them and ask about their life. What is going on that prevents their attendance at training or service time? I've asked people to either commit or step down. Honestly that approach has had mixed results, some have really stepped up, some have stepped down, and some have stayed the course continuing to miss training time. They usually, eventually realize they aren't progressing and then we are back to the same discussion. At that point, it usually results in them stepping down.

Finally, when all options are exhausted be sure to be honest with the person. Remember to speak truthfully, but gently.