The main difference lies in the length and extent of one’s commitment. Volunteers are short term, and owing to that do not get too deep into the operation of the Base. The maximum amount of time that one can volunteer with YWAM is 6 months. Staff are long-term (1yr+), committed members of the community who come to corporately pursue what they believe God has laid on their hearts. As a result, staff get much more into the thick of the action than anyone else.  They are the ones that hold the Base up and keep it operational and effective. And then, yes… To be staff, you have to have successfully completed a DTS. A volunteer doesn’t have to have done one.