The Management Capsule from last month regarding “What Sponsors Want” evoked a response from one of our readers that contained the advice to always “deliver whatever you promise. Never, never over promise and under deliver.” Here are my suggestions for how any organization—especially membership organizations and associations—can make their members and clients happier by over delivering:

1. Establish a baseline set of deliverables that your members or clients will receive. In order for members, sponsors or other supporters of your organization to believe they’ve received more than expected, they must have clear expectations regarding what they will receive from the start.

2. Rather than scrimping on baseline deliverables so that you’ve got something left in reserve with which to over deliver, try to achieve over delivery by going “outside the box.” In this way, the over delivery becomes a real calling card for your organization. When what you’re delivering is unique, your members and clients will appreciate your originality.

3. Once you begin to set a standard that your members and clients recognize as different from what they can get elsewhere, it is important not to fall into the trap of resting on your laurels. Consistent over delivery requires continual creativity and innovation. It’s easy to surprise people in a favorable way once. Doing it year in and year out is considerably more difficult.

4. Learn from your own experiences and listen to what the marketplace is saying. When was the last time you felt like someone you were dealing with delivered a lot more than they promised? Consider how they achieved that and what you can learn from their business practices. Don’t forget to listen to what current and former members and clients will tell you.

By allowing your imagination to contribute some ideas that you’ve never before attempted, you may find that your organization not only over delivers on a consistent basis for your members and clients but also exceeds even the toughest expectations of the board and chief executive. What do you think? Post your feedback as a comment below (including your name, title and organization).