Nonprofit Website Performance Reporting

At Harvest, we compare digital marketing to the cultivation of a field. Performance reporting is like the harvest, when the success of digital marketing investment can be measured.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) offers a wealth of data, but many of its reports don’t provide actionable insights to help your nonprofit achieve its goals. Compared to Universal Analytics (UA)—which stopped tracking hits in the summer of 2023—GA4 can be more complex and harder to navigate. We recommend investing in a Google Looker Studio dashboard to make the most of this powerful tool. A well-designed dashboard focuses on the specific reports that align with your nonprofit’s key performance indicators (KPIs), delivering clear, actionable insights.

About Looker Studio: Why Your Nonprofit Needs It

Looker Studio simplifies GA4’s data by focusing on what matters most. Here’s why it’s an essential tool for nonprofits:

  • Free to Use: Once the dashboard is set up, Google platform reports have no ongoing costs.

  • Comprehensive Data Integration: Aggregate performance data from Google Ads, Facebook Insights, LinkedIn Ads, and more in a single dashboard. For non-Google platforms, a subscription to a partner connector like Supermetrics may be required.

  • Customizable Sharing Options: Make reports accessible to anyone via a shareable link or assign view/edit permissions to specific individuals.

  • Interactive Reports: Dashboard users can sort data by custom date ranges and report columns, and even filter reports by page URL, campaign name, and more. 

  • Automated Reporting: Configure reports to automatically display monthly or year-over-year comparisons. This is especially helpful for nonprofits with seasonal engagement trends.

  • Unified Metrics: Easily combine website “sessions” (visits) and “key events” (like donations or form completions) in a single report for a holistic view of your performance.

Our Work

  • Housing Nonprofit

    Reporting revealed that referral traffic from professional associations resulted in higher-than-average form completions, which prompted them to proactively engage with other associations.

    Read

  • Nonprofit Milk Bank

    Reporting revealed that most website traffic and donation form completions came from mobile users, which prompted them to prioritize the mobile user experience.

    Read

  • Habitat for Humanity ReStore

    Reporting revealed that specific landing pages Google grant ads resulted in higher than average donation rates, which prompted them to invest in paid Google ads for these keyword categories.

    Read

Ten Actionable Looker Studio Reports for Nonprofits

The following reports go beyond data—they deliver insights to help improve your website’s performance and impact.

1. Source/Medium

This report categorizes traffic by its source (e.g., Google, Facebook), indicating where the traffic originates, and by its medium (e.g., organic search, referral), which specifies the type or category of that traffic. As a foundational tool for analyzing your website's performance, this report helps identify which sources drive the most traffic and key events, allowing you to dig deeper into the factors behind these results.

2. Organic Search Landing Pages

Organic search is often a major driver of nonprofit website traffic. This report reveals which pages are bringing in the most visitors and key events from search engines like Google and Bing.

  • Why It’s Critical: If you’re investing in nonprofit SEO, this report identifies:

    • Pages needing improvement to boost performance.

    • Content gaps that present opportunities for new page creation.

3. Search Queries

Understanding why certain pages attract search engine traffic can be challenging. This report, pulled from Google Search Console, displays the search terms that are driving clicks to your site.

Example Use Case: A Habitat for Humanity ReStore learned that many users searched for “donation pick-up” and “donation drop-off.” Their website wasn’t visible for these terms, prompting a content optimization initiative.

4. Referral 

Referral traffic comes from links on external websites. This report shows where your website visitors are coming from, which pages they clicked on, and which key events were triggered. Key Insights from Referral Traffic:

  • News Source: If news outlets or websites publish negative articles linking to your nonprofit, this report allows you to monitor their impact and the traffic they generate. Conversely, positive media coverage can drive donations and volunteer sign-ups, making it worthwhile to invest in public relations. Local nonprofits should also use PR strategies to keep the public informed about major annual initiatives, such as Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities or programs supporting families during the holiday season.

  • Directories: If traffic from a specific directory generates key events (e.g., donations or signups), consider investing in similar directories.

  • Corporate Partners: Encourage partners to include links to your site in their announcements or sponsorships.

  • Government Websites: Links from official government sites lend authority and credibility to your website. Reach out to request links where relevant.

  • National Nonprofits: Local branches of national nonprofits often benefit from referral traffic originating from the parent organization. Ensure that the information provided on their site about your branch is accurate and up-to-date, and proactively explore additional opportunities to have your content linked from their pages.

  • Local Sites: Many city-specific culture and events websites include nonprofit links. Explore opportunities for inclusion.

5. Campaigns

Track the performance of all your marketing campaigns in one place. Campaign types include:

  • Email: Monitor engagement and conversions by campaign name.

  • Google Ads: Assess the success of Google Ad Grants or paid campaigns.

  • Social Ads: Evaluate Facebook and LinkedIn ad performance.

  • Partner Publications: Measure clicks from partner newsletters or articles.

  • Print Materials: Use QR codes on mailers or brochures to track offline-to-online engagement.

6. Top Pages

This report highlights your website’s most viewed pages, offering insight into which content resonates most with your audience.

  • Pro Tip: Create variations of this report to focus on top blog posts or landing pages for targeted analysis.

7. Site Search

Analyze what users are searching for within your website. This can reveal:

  • Content that is hard to find and needs better placement.

  • New opportunities for content creation based on user interest.

8. Location

For regional or national nonprofits, understanding where your audience is located can help you target your outreach efforts more effectively.

  • Report Options: View data by city, metro area, state, or country.

9. Device Type

Understand how users interact with your website across different devices (desktop, mobile, tablet).

10. Social Network Landing Pages

Track the performance of pages receiving traffic from social platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn.

  • Example Insight: Identify which posts or campaigns are driving the most traffic and replicate their success.

Optional Reports for Deeper Insights

Ad Campaigns

  • Google Ads: The Google Ad Grants program provides eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits with up to $10,000 per month in free advertising. However, these campaigns are often underutilized, as the lack of direct costs can lead to neglect in optimization and strategy. The Google Ads report in Looker Studio helps you maximize the program’s potential by offering critical metrics such as clicks, click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-click (CPC), total ad spend, and conversions, enabling you to refine and optimize your campaigns for better results.

  • Social Ads: The costs of managing social ad campaigns often surpass the donations generated—particularly for donation-specific campaigns—making it essential to ensure a positive return on investment (ROI) before continuing to invest. Using a partner connector service like Supermetrics, you can directly integrate ad performance metrics from platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) into your Looker Studio dashboard. This integration provides a comprehensive view of campaign effectiveness, helping you make informed decisions to optimize your ad spend.

Other GA4 Events

  • File Downloads: Track the performance of downloadable resources like PDFs.

  • Outbound Links: Measure clicks on external links, especially for offsite donation platforms.

  • Video Views: Monitor video engagement, including progress milestones (e.g., 25%, 50%, 100%).

Reports Exclusive to GA4

It’s difficult to import these reports into Looker Studio,

  • Attribution Paths: Potential donors often don’t complete their donation on their first visit to your website. They might discover your nonprofit through an ad, take time to research further, and then return via a Google search to complete the donation form. In such cases, attributing the entire credit to the last Google search overlooks the role of the ad in driving awareness and engagement. If you’re investing in advertising, it’s essential to understand the full journey users take before converting. The Attribution Paths report provides valuable insights into these multi-step journeys.

  • Page Path Exploration: Gain insights into user navigation patterns by visualizing how visitors move through your site. For instance, you can track the paths users take from the homepage or analyze the specific journeys that lead to donation completions.

  • Demographics: Access age and gender data by adjusting GA4 data collection settings.

Unlock Your Nonprofit’s Potential with Looker Studio

A tailored Looker Studio dashboard empowers your nonprofit to focus on what matters most: driving results, maximizing impact, and achieving your mission. By implementing these reports, you’ll gain actionable insights to improve your website and outreach strategies.

Let Harvest Help!

Struggling to create nonprofit performance reporting yourself? Harvest can help:

Contact us today to learn how performance reporting can help your nonprofit!