I think it's awesome that you want to help minnows move forward in steemit, but I wouldn't worry to much on the monetary value of the upvote. I think it's more valuable when you upvote content that you love regardless because it means that you are giving that steemian a vote of confidence. Another way to help is to resteem someone's posts, that's like introducing a new friend to your own circle of friends. Resteeming helps any minnow reach more viewers. The third thing is what you did here: comment, authentic comments will allow you to make friends with minnows, it's like a virtual hug in that sense. A fourth thing you can do is to make a post about a fellow steemian, maybe a "minnow of the week". Yesterday I was reading a post from someone introducing another steemian on the platform. A sort of introduce someone else to my friends, with pics of their work, or the values they bring to the community. So, don't get bummed down for your voting power, help comes in many shapes and forms ;)