There is a growing interest in community-based restorative justice (RJ) initiatives. These RJ programs often rely on community volunteers to perform tasks that include facilitating meetings between victims and offenders. The present study asked 72 RJ volunteers to provide their opinions on what constitutes a ‘good’ and a ‘bad’ RJ facilitator. Volunteers reported that having adequate skills was the most important aspect of being a good facilitator, while the qualities of a bad facilitator were being judgmental and dominating in the RJ process. An understanding of the qualities of effective facilitators can inform strategies for the recruitment and training of volunteers in community-based RJ initiatives.