Abstract This essay provides an insight into the development and expansion of the YouthBuild community-based program. At the outset, it highlights various lessons from the project. It also examines its progression, funding, shortfalls, and leadership qualities, among other factors that affect its success. Finally, yet importantly, the essay explores the need to merge with other organizations in an attempt to form coalition strategies. The YouthBuild Community-Based Program The YouthBuild program was established with a view of promoting community development, preventing crime, nurturing leadership, and enhancing construction skills, among others. This essay provides an analysis of the YouthBuild program that was initiated by Dorothy Stoneman in the United States of America. The YouthBuild project was established with a view of nurturing the talents of young Americans through training and the provision of advice. It formed a part of social entrepreneurship through the mobilization of the available resources to meet the needs of the youth (Brooks, 2008). Such programs start with the identification of opportunities that create certain social values in the community. However, its initiation involved consideration of various factors such as employment and availability of knowledge, among others, that affect the growing population (Brooks, 2008). Merging and replication of various community-based projects is another idea that ensured the progress of the youth program. This situation compelled various donors to increase their funding. A great lesson that is learned from the initial expansion of the program is that coalitions are in a better position to solicit more funds from donors as compared to single organizations. Through its operations, the YouthBuild program was able to solicit funds for development from the New York City officials. Since the group’s expansion was based on a coalition, the best way of channeling the funds was accomplished through the distribution of resources to the affiliate community-based programs. Being an observant leader, Dorothy ensured that the top officials did not deal with money matters (Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, 2004). This situation prevented the project from dwindling and corruption. One of the major challenges was that the YouthBuild project lacked well-trained individuals to handle the different programs that were laid down. As a result, five of the programs failed. This state of affairs compelled some donors to stop funding the project. Many programs have been unsuccessful due to poor leadership, lack of training, technical inability, and use of prototype handbooks as training manuals, among other reasons (Brooks, 2008). Proper planning should include training and management to ensure effective organizational processes. Most projects are initiated with the aim of achieving specific goals. However, social projects in the United States focus on the provision of services that are not met by the federal government (Brooks, 2008). Good leadership is characterized by the urge to surpass the stipulated goals. Excellence training social organizations need skilled personnel to remain competitive in the labor market. Expansions of such organizations are based on per