Sorry I missed much of this lively discussion, but I’ll throw in my opinion.
I have been an on-on-off member of IDSA for my whole career, but very much engaged thru the last 8 years or so. Looking back on my early career I see how many opportunities I missed by not engaging more. The last few years have been the most gratifying, but mainly through the contacts I have made which have helped my understand the inside view of profession better, learn new ways of thinking about my own design challenges and network and improve communication skills. I have become friends with TimF, Warrren and Michelle, and scores of other good people and successful designers, all thru IDSA. I am a huge fan of IDSA which is not without its shortcomings, but has no substitute. Like many working professionals I am limited in how much time I can expend on volunteer activities, but in terms of what I can contribute to younger designers, and what I can get in return, time spent with IDSA is the best value for me.
I’m glad this forum is on here, and applaud the IDSA officers who have been writing in. I think more collaboration between Core and IDSA would be good for the profession.