Ditto to what theclam said:
Membership to the Guild of Writers should not be exclusive.
Council leadership positions should be exclusive.
I might also add that a benefit of having nonexclusive membership is that we can receive new perspectives from other Guilds, build up our ties with them, and facilitate communication and understanding. We have a lot we can learn from other guilds, and they have a lot they can learn from us--mutual exchange is good.