Fellow designers, I am optimistic about this Board decision, here's why:
IxDA deserves the respect that comes with gatekeepers. We are an exclusive set of designers, with a membership that is growing rapidly. Companies that post to our website should have to buy in, or they will not respect what they get out. IxDA is well respected and hosts lively conversation between professionals. If we uphold our respect for IxDA, when a recruiter, HR manager or VP sees IxDA on your resume, it will mean something to them, especially if they had to approve a small fee to receive that resume.
IxDA is an association, unlike CraigsList or LinkedIn. We are tightly knit by local groups that meet in person, a mission statement and an annual conference. We are geeks of a certain flavor. We have a robust skill set and a proven methodology that is akin to the leading design firms in the world. Job posts on IxDA reach a select group of professionals that social media service LinkedIn and web 1.0 CraigsList do not. I believe that, if CraigsList and LinkedIn's content is monetized (and it is), ours should be doubly so.
You needn't post a job to fill it. Let us not forget that we can approach eachother with jobs we think the other person would be good for. Agencies cannot do this, but we can. On this .org, discussions are tagged and comments are voted on. Search them. Find candidates. Offer opportunity. Take advantage of IxDA.org's great signal to noise ratio. If it is not in your budget to broadcast to 22,000+ members, why not use the freely accessible discussion forum and directory to find (and vet) ID professionals for the position you're hiring for? If that sounds like to much work because you're too busy earning money, spend some of it - it goes into the coffers of your association.
Finally, let us also acknowledge that decisions like this can be reversed. I've never used Coroflot's portfolio tool, it looks adequate at a glance, maybe not as nice as Krop or CargoCollective but adequate - perhaps it integrates with our system well - I don't know. But designing an online Job Board is an ID problem right? Let's take a direction, learn from it, and course correct along the way. Thank you Board of Directors.