@joseph this topic is something I have spent a great deal of time thinking about. I agree with you to a point but I also believe it is yet another great opportunity and use case for Steemit.
Just think about it for a second, you can raise money and support causes by just voting for them.
A strong tradition where I come from is raising money for charitable organisations, this promotes a culture of caring and giving in the wider community and from what I have seen of Steemit, it's not that far from the ethos of many Steemians.
A Local Charity
Steemit is entirely different compared to local charities or causes because its an online anonymous community or is it? Local Charities and causes can work very well and even taking it a step further you could think of it as a form of Mutual Insurance. This is something that has helped people for centuries and if there are appropriate safeguards or practices built in can work very effectively. If a member of the community gets sick or needs help we can all share the cost for the collective benefit of the community.
Community and Trust
What is unique about steemit is the community and level of trust that you can build on the platform. Of course I am not going to give my money, or votes to just anyone but I feel there is certainly room on Steemit for Charitable organisations, events and causes. In fact it might be the most transparent platform for such causes that exists at the moment. Just think about it you can promote a cause, raise funds, follow through with posts about how the funds were used and at the same time raise awareness about causes and promote a sense of community, caring and help across the globe.
This platform has so much potential in so many arenas, there will need to be safeguards, and I would welcome official vetted accounts by major aid organisations but maybe that is not what this platform is suited to. Maybe its better to let the grassroots get community support for things they believe in, empower people to help out even if they are not part of an official organisation.
I will be positing some more ideas on this topic in coming days I hope you check out my post, and I have a big fund-raising event planned for next Christmas, I hope you will support it.