Nonprofit board members are crucial to an organization’s success, particularly with raising money during tough economic times, Alan Weiss, a business consultant, writes on his blog, Contrarian Consulting.

He identities five guidelines for a board and its members. They are:

• Recruiting members who have “passion; intellectual capital; contacts who can be accessed to support the cause; and the ability to donate or raise funds.”
• Setting term limits.
• Requiring a minimum annual contribution from members.
• Evaluating senior management on a regular basis.
• Avoiding micromanaging the nonprofit group.

Mr. Weiss serves on several charity boards in his home state of Rhode Island. He says that despite the economy, they have been able to attract donors.

“Many people claim, mistakenly, that there is no money to be raised under current circumstances and that people are loath to contribute to the arts or education or social needs. But that’s not true in my experience,” he writes.

For example, the Newport International Film Festival, which he is chairman of, recently raised $140,000 in two weeks, he says.

What do you think of Mr. Weiss’s guidelines? Click on the comments link below to provide your thoughts.