Do you want them on your Board? Will they add value above and beyond an introduction to investors that brings investment capital in?
If the answer to both questions is 'yes' then equity could be exactly the right tool. And the question's a prompt to you thinking about the bigger question of what your startup will look like when it's a team. What equity do you want to reserve for executives, and what for Board members? If it were me, I'd want them to make a concrete ask so I could know where they were coming from - and get an idea of how much I could ask of them in exchange for sharing in the value I was creating.
If you'd like them on your Board but there's no real value beyond the introduction, it's less obvious whether equity makes sense. It can be worth having 'names' closely tied in to your company, but it's messy spreading equity too wide.
If you don't want them on your Board, I don't see how equity can make sense for you. If they're going to actively help you raise money, it's more usual to think about a percentage of funds raised. If there's nothing more than an introduction... well, the right VC or angel will want to find you, maybe it's time you looked at your local angel networks directly.
