What's the point of the BCS?

I read El Reg's article about the BCS complaining about the lack of IT skills. And found myself wondering once again what purpose the BCS actually serve. I mean, it's a great idea, a professional organisation that serves the needs of IT professionals. Except, what exactly are our needs? And what exactly does the BCS do? No one I know has been able to explain the point of them, and that include a few people who've been members. All their blurb sounds much more tailored to IT management than people who actually hack on stuff. What am I missing?