Google Analytics 4 is a powerful, free web analytics tool for nonprofits – if it is used effectively. Whole Whale has been helping nonprofits use GA for over a decade and we’ve configured the tool to help in a wide variety of ways.
The secret to customizing your GA4 is actually think People and Process first rather than what the product can do.
Donation Tracking & Optimization
- Track donation funnel completion rates
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events > Select “purchase” or custom donation event
- Key metric: Conversion rate from donation page view to completion
- Customize: Set up custom donation amount bands (e.g., “$0-50”, “$51-100”)
- Measure donation source effectiveness
- Navigation: Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition
- Filter for donation completion events
- Create custom channel grouping for grant referrals
- Compare recurring vs. one-time donations
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Set up custom conversion events: “recurring_donation” and “one_time_donation”
- Track subscriber retention in Monetization > Overview
- Track impact story conversion rates
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens
- Filter for pages containing “/impact/” or “/stories/”
- Create custom conversion paths from stories to donations
- Monitor mobile giving experience
- Navigation: Reports > Tech > Tech overview
- Segment by device category
- Create custom mobile donation funnel
Volunteer Management
- Track volunteer registration success
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Set up custom event: “volunteer_signup_complete”
- Monitor form abandonment with custom events
- Monitor volunteer opportunity engagement
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens
- Filter for “/volunteer/” pages
- Create custom metrics for volunteer hour pledges
- Analyze volunteer resource usage
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Track PDF downloads of volunteer handbooks
- Monitor volunteer portal logins
- Track geographic volunteer distribution
- Navigation: Reports > Geo > Location
- Create custom volunteer segments by region
- Monitor volunteer event registrations by area
- Measure volunteer retention
- Navigation: Reports > Retention > User retention
- Create custom cohorts for active volunteers
- Track return visitor frequency for volunteer portal
Mission Impact Content
- Impact report engagement
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens
- Filter for “/impact/” or “/annual-report/”
- Set up scroll depth tracking for long-form content
- Beneficiary story performance
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Track video plays of testimonials
- Monitor social shares of impact stories
- Program outcome metrics
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Set up program-specific conversion events
- Track goal completion by program area
- Newsletter effectiveness
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Track email signup conversions
- Monitor newsletter link click-through rates
- Resource library usage
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens
- Filter for “/resources/” or “/library/”
- Track document downloads and shares
Campaign Performance
- Multi-channel campaign tracking
- Navigation: Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition
- Set up custom campaign parameters (utm_campaign)
- Create campaign-specific conversion events
- Fundraising event analytics
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Track event registration completions
- Monitor ticket sales and attendance
- Advocacy campaign effectiveness
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Track petition signatures
- Monitor legislative action alert responses
- Grant-specific landing pages
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Landing pages
- Filter for grant-specific URLs
- Create custom reports for grant reporting
- Year-end giving analysis
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Time comparison
- Compare YoY giving patterns
- Track multi-touch attribution for major gifts
Stakeholder Journey Analysis
- Donor journey mapping
- Navigation: Reports > Exploration > Path exploration
- Create custom donor segments
- Track paths from first touch to donation
- Board member portal usage
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Track board document downloads
- Monitor board portal login frequency
- Corporate partner engagement
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Track corporate matching gift conversions
- Monitor corporate volunteer program usage
- Major donor behavior
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Set up custom segments for major donors
- Track high-value page interactions
- Volunteer-to-donor conversion
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Create volunteer-donor segments
- Track cross-conversion rates
Technical Performance
- Site speed optimization
- Navigation: Reports > Tech > Tech overview
- Monitor page load times
- Track mobile performance metrics
- Form optimization
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Track form completion rates
- Monitor form error rates
- Error tracking
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Monitor 404 errors
- Track failed donations
- Search functionality
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Site search
- Track most common searches
- Monitor search refinements
- Mobile responsiveness
- Navigation: Reports > Tech > Tech overview
- Track mobile-specific errors
- Monitor mobile conversion rates
Community Building
- Event registration tracking
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Set up custom event tracking
- Monitor event capacity fills
- Member engagement
- Navigation: Reports > Retention > User retention
- Create member segments
- Track member portal usage
- Social proof metrics
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Track testimonial views
- Monitor social share clicks
- Community forum analytics
- Navigation: Reports > Engagement > Events
- Track discussion participation
- Monitor community growth
- Peer-to-peer fundraising
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Track fundraiser page creation
- Monitor peer fundraising success rates
Geographic Impact
- Service area analysis
- Navigation: Reports > Geo > Location
- Create service area segments
- Track program reach
- Donor geography
- Navigation: Reports > Geo > Location
- Create donor heat maps
- Track regional giving patterns
- Program expansion opportunities
- Navigation: Reports > Geo > Location
- Monitor underserved area traffic
- Track regional engagement rates
- Event location optimization
- Navigation: Reports > Geo > Location
- Track event attendance by region
- Monitor travel distances
- International reach
- Navigation: Reports > Geo > Location
- Track global program impact
- Monitor international donations
Board Reporting
- Custom board dashboards
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Create board-specific metrics
- Set up automated board reports
- Grant reporting metrics
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Track grant-specific KPIs
- Monitor program outcome metrics
- Financial health tracking
- Navigation: Reports > Monetization > Overview
- Track donation trends
- Monitor program sustainability metrics
- Impact visualization
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Create impact dashboards
- Track outcome metrics
Email Campaign Performance
- Email Marketing Analytics
- Navigation: Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition
- Filter Source/Medium for “email”
- Email Traffic Performance
- Navigate: Acquisition > Traffic acquisition
- Filter: source / email
- Compare: Sessions, Conversion rate, Average engagement time
- Set up: Custom channel grouping for different email types (newsletter, fundraising, events)
- Email Campaign Tracking
- Set up UTM parameters:
- utm_source=newsletter
- utm_medium=email
- utm_campaign=spring_fundraiser
- utm_content=header_donate_button
- Set up UTM parameters:
- Email Journey Analysis
- Navigation: Reports > Exploration > Path exploration
- Create segments:
- First-time email visitors
- Returning email visitors
- Email-to-donor conversion paths
- Email Content Performance
- Track by content type:
- Newsletter clicks
- Fundraising appeal clicks
- Event invitation clicks
- Program update clicks
- Compare engagement metrics across content types
- Track by content type:
Regional Geographic Analysis
- Detailed Geographic Tracking
- Navigation: Reports > Geo > Location
- Regional Donation Patterns
- Navigate: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Dimensions:
- Country
- Region
- City
- Metrics:
- Donation count
- Average donation amount
- Donor retention rate
- Program Impact by Region
- Create custom dimensions:
- Service area
- Program type
- Beneficiary location
- Set up regional comparisons:
- Services delivered
- Beneficiary engagement
- Program outcomes
- Create custom dimensions:
- Regional Campaign Performance
- Track by region:
- Campaign response rates
- Conversion rates
- Average donation amounts
- Create regional segments for:
- High-performing areas
- Growth opportunities
- Underserved areas
- Track by region:
Seasonal Performance Analysis
- Year-over-Year (YoY) Tracking
- Navigation: Reports > Custom > Time comparison
- Giving Season Analysis
- Navigate: Reports > Custom > Create custom report
- Compare metrics:
- Daily donation trends
- Week-over-week performance
- Month-over-month growth
- Year-over-year comparison
- Campaign Period Performance
- Track seasonal campaigns:
- End-of-year giving
- Giving Tuesday
- Spring appeals
- Summer programs
- Compare YoY metrics:
- Total donations
- Average gift size
- Donor retention
- New donor acquisition
- Track seasonal campaigns:
- Seasonal Engagement Patterns
- Create custom reports for:
- Program registration cycles
- Volunteer sign-up patterns
- Event attendance trends
- Resource usage fluctuations
- Create custom reports for: