I speak as one of the curators of the Shield-it project, which was created to combat the downvote abuse that the Italian community has experienced in the past. The project has also organized two fundraising campaigns to support users in need.
Our approach is collaborative: one of the members brings a report received to the attention of the others, or highlights a situation they have personally noticed, and we try to assess the case based on the information we can gather on Steemit to determine how reliable the user might be.
If the user is active, respected, and well-regarded, it is obviously easier to trust them compared to someone who appears out of nowhere asking for financial help.
If everyone agrees, meaning if we can be reasonably certain of the truthfulness of what the user in difficulty has reported, we proceed with the fundraising.
We do not require subsequent updates, although usually, when the requests for help are based on real problems, they come spontaneously.
Thank you for answering how the procedure with shield-it is. Although there might be talks behind the screens it sounds like a relaxing way to give aid.
It's also good to hear that if engagement and trust are there updates spontaneously are given
I truly hope that engagement is the reason since when things go downhill, get out of hand, and a listening ear is needed, it is good to know that the person seeking help has somewhere to go, especially since for many their lives revolve around Steemit.