The Olympic Secret Your Nonprofit Needs

While the world watches elite sprinters shave milliseconds off world records, here’s what most people miss:

90% of their success is mindset.
Not luck. Not raw talent. Not even genetics.

I saw this play out in Sprint, the Netflix doc following the world’s fastest runners—like gold medalist Noah Lyles, who declared he’d win before stepping on the track.

Some called it arrogance. I call it the exact mindset nonprofit leaders need to break through revenue plateaus.

Don’t Discount Your Mindset: It’s Your Actual Secret Weapon.

Let’s break this down with science—because belief isn’t wishful thinking. It’s strategy.

📊 The Milkshake Experiment

Researchers gave every participant the same 380-calorie shake.

Group A was told it was “indulgent” (620 calories)
Group B thought it was “sensible” (140 calories)

Result? Group A’s hunger hormones dropped 3x faster.
Same shake. Different belief. Different outcome.

🧹 The Housekeeper Study

Two groups of hotel staff.

Group A was told their daily work counted as exercise
Group B got no information

After four weeks, Group A lost weight, lowered their blood pressure, and boosted fitness levels—without changing a thing.

What This Means for You

Your beliefs shape your fundraising outcomes.

Say things like:
❌ “Major donors won’t give in this economy”
❌ “Our list is too small to raise real money”

… and your actions will follow. So will your results.

But when you lead like Noah Lyles—declaring bold goals out loud—you align your strategy, team, and energy to meet that outcome.

3 Ways to Train Like a Fundraising Olympian

1. Declare Your Gold Medal Goal (Loudly)

Noah Lyles didn’t whisper “I hope I win.” He said, “I’m taking gold.”

Here’s your move:
Replace “We’re hoping to hit $500K” with:
“We’re funding our $1M diaper bank expansion by December.”

Say it in board meetings. On donor calls. In your newsletter.
Why? Public declarations trigger the consistency bias—your brain (and your team) will act in alignment with what’s been claimed.

2. Write the “We Did It” Recap Before You Launch

Olympians like Simone Biles journal as their future selves:
“Today, I nailed my routine.”

Your version? Write your campaign recap before it even starts.
Describe:

The donor who gave 5X more than expected
The email with a 40% open rate
The sponsor who reached out to you

Post it on your desk or in your Notes app.
This is called priming—and it helps your brain create the conditions for that vision to become real.

3. Treat Failure Like Data, Not Defeat

When Noah Lyles loses a heat, he doesn’t spiral—he tweaks.

Your next “flop”? Don’t waste energy on blame. Try:

“Now we know direct mail works better for lapsed donors.”
“Next time, we’ll launch peer-to-peer a week earlier.”

Bonus: Share what you learned publicly.
→ “Here’s what didn’t work—and how we’re adjusting.”
Transparency builds trust. And donors root for leaders who reflect and iterate.

The Real Reason You’re Stuck

It’s not your staff size.
It’s not the economy.
It’s not your donor list.

It’s the mindset holding your strategy hostage.

The organizations scaling past $500K? Raising $100K in a weekend?
They’re not luckier. They’ve just mastered what Olympians know:

✔️ Claim the goal
✔️ Act like it’s done
✔️ Treat setbacks like strategy

The 90% Mindset Rule: How Nonprofit Leaders Can Fundraise Like Olympians