I'm new to Sai's teachings and find it hard to connect. How does Baba himself help in building a community of devotees?

Baba builds his community by personally inspiring individuals and guiding them toward the spiritual path. As described in Chapter 35, it is Baba himself who gives people the inspiration to seek him out. He stimulates their natural disposition to lead them forward. The story of Boss Dharamsee illustrates this perfectly. Dharamsee arrived with a skeptical, clinical mindset, but through a personal experience with Baba involving grapes, his ego dropped away, and a deep love for the saint was born in his heart, making him determined to return to Shirdi. This individual transformation is how Baba accomplishes his work and grows his following.