5 GA4 configurations every charity or nonprofit should make..

Let’s be honest, most charities or nonprofits don’t use Google Analytics 4 (GA4). It’s another thing they have to learn while also learning Facebook, Meta, AI, and other tools. Despite this, I am on a mission to change that. To get you started, here are 5 GA4 configurations every charity should make in every new GA4 property you create…

1. Change the data retention from 2 months to 14 months

By default, GA4 keeps user data for just 2 months, which can limit your ability to analyse the effectiveness of online fundraising campaigns. Extending this period to 14 months gives you more historical data to work with, allowing for better year-over-year comparisons and deeper insights into donor behavior.

2. Define and exclude internal traffic

Internal traffic from your own fundraising or communications team can skew your analytics data, making it difficult to accurately assess how external users are engaging with your content. By defining ( adding your IP address) and excluding internal traffic, you ensure that your data reflects only the activity of genuine visitors to your website.

3. Remove any unwanted referrals

Referral traffic can sometimes include websites you don’t want to see your traffic reports, which can distort your data and mislead you about where your visitors are coming from. By identifying and removing unwanted referrals, you can clean up your data and focus on the sources that actually drive traffic to your site.

4. Change the default session time

The default session timeout in GA4 is 30 minutes, but this might not be appropriate for every nonprofit. If your visitor tend to spend longer periods of time on your website, such as making a donation, reading in-depth reports or watching videos, you may want to extend the session time. Adjusting this setting ensures that your data accurately reflects user engagement without inflated session counts.

5. Configure domains if running multiple websites from the same GA4 property

If your charity manages multiple websites under the same GA4 property, it’s essential to configure your domains properly. This setup prevents data from being combined incorrectly, ensuring that you can accurately track user behavior across different sites while still viewing data in one place. This is crucial for charities that operate various microsites or campaigns.

Configuring these 5 settings will ensure your GA4 account is correctly set up, the data you collect is accurate and actionable for every charity or nonprofit.

If you want to learn more, I am hosting a GA4 workshop on Monday 2nd September 2024

Blog post by Andrew Parle, Digital Fundraising Specialist

Andrew is a paid digital fundraising specialist with over 10 years’ experience in the commercial and non-for-profit fundraising sector.

Specialising in strategy, paid social advertising, analytics and data visualization, Andrew has experience managing campaigns across a full range of platforms, from paid search activity on Google to paid social (especially Facebook Ads). Working with key stakeholders, optimising donor journeys, and project managing large media campaigns across multiple online and offline channels are core to Andrew’s experience.

Andrew currently lectures in Digital fundraising at the Charities Institute Ireland and is co-chair of the digital forum.

Website - https://socialforgood.ie