It doesn’t say much for an organization that has to force people to join. The benefits of membership alone should be enough to attract members.
There was a time when some footraces (most notably Boston Marathon) required that runners join AAU, precursor to TAC and USATF. This was hugely unpopular and created a backlash of resentment among the runners.
Columbus Marathon was forced by USATF to require membership as a condition for running. There was a USATF booth set up at the Expo so that people could join. The complaining was huge, and Columbus fought for and succeeded in getting rid of the USATF membership requirement for the runners.
By requiring certifiers and measurers to be members are we perhaps losing sight of the fact that those people are already helping USATF? It seems ungracious to force them to pay for the privilege.
If USATF wishes to increase membership it might be more useful to show prospective members the benefits. If the benefits are attractive, people will join without coercion.
No, we should not force certifiers and measurers to be members of USATF. What they do already helps USATF. That is enough.