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      WeGive UTM Tracking Guide

      This guide explains how WeGive uses UTM tracking data and other URL query parameters to help you understand where your donations come from, how supporters find your campaigns, and how to analyze the performance of your outreach efforts.

      WeGive’s tracking system is designed to give you flexibility and visibility, whether you are running paid ads, sharing links in emails, or working with partner organizations.

      What is UTM tracking?

      UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are short codes added to the end of a URL to track where your website traffic is coming from. These are standard marketing tools used across the web to help measure campaign performance.

      Example of a URL with UTM parameters:

      https://wegive.com/donate?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spring_drive

      In this example:

      • utm_source tells you the traffic came from Facebook.

      • utm_medium tells you it was part of a social media effort.

      • utm_campaign tells you it was part of the “spring_drive” campaign.

      When someone clicks a link with UTM parameters and completes a donation, WeGive saves these details so you can later analyze and report on them.

      What query parameters does WeGive support?

      WeGive captures all query parameters included in the URL and stores them in the tracking URL field on the transaction record.

      This includes:

      • Standard UTM parameters like utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, and utm_content.

      • Custom parameters you define, such as fundraiser_id, partner_code, appeal_id, or other codes you want to pass.

      This system is similar to “source codes” used in other fundraising platforms, allowing you to tag and group transactions based on how supporters reached your checkout page.

      How is the tracking data stored?

      WeGive tracks URL data in two main ways:

      1. Tracking URL field on transactions:

        • Stores the full query string from the incoming link. For example, if someone donates using:

           
          https://wegive.com/donate?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fall_appeal

          The full query string ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fall_appeal is saved in the tracking URL field.

      2. Optional mapping to custom fields:

        • If you want to capture specific query parameter values as standalone fields (for example, saving partner_code=abc123 into a custom field on the transaction or supporter record), WeGive can map these through custom field setup.

        • This allows more advanced filtering, segmentation, and reporting inside the platform.

      How can you use this data?

      Once WeGive captures UTM and query parameter data, you can use it in several ways:

      • Filter transactions by tracking URL values
        You can filter transactions that contain specific UTM parameters or custom codes. For example, you can pull a list of all transactions where the tracking URL contains utm_campaign=year_end.

      • Group or segment data
        You can group or segment transactions or supporters using the mapped custom fields or tags you have set up from query parameters.

      • Analyze campaign performance
        Export transaction data or use WeGive reports to see how different campaigns, sources, or partner links are performing.

      • Optimize outreach
        By understanding which channels or campaigns are most effective, you can adjust your marketing strategy, improve messaging, and better allocate resources.

      How does this work with external tracking tools?

      If you use external analytics or marketing tools, WeGive supports integrations such as:

      • Google Tag Manager (GTM): You can add GTM containers to your WeGive pages to track events and pass UTM data into your broader analytics setup.

      • Meta Pixel: You can embed a Meta Pixel to track page views, conversions, and optimize Facebook ad campaigns.

      • Other analytics platforms: WeGive can support custom event tracking and data layer integrations for more advanced marketing setups.

      If you need help implementing external tools, please contact WeGive Support or your Customer Success Manager.

      Best practices for UTM and query parameter tracking

      To get the most value out of WeGive’s tracking features, follow these best practices:

      • Be consistent with UTM naming.
        Use consistent names for utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign across all your channels. For example, always use utm_source=facebook instead of sometimes using fb or facebook_ads.

      • Test your links.
        Before launching a campaign, test your URLs to make sure the parameters are correct and the donation page loads as expected.

      • Plan custom parameter use.
        If you want to use custom codes (such as appeal_id or fundraiser_code), plan these in advance and set up any necessary custom field mappings with your WeGive team.

      • Review and report regularly.
        Check your WeGive dashboard regularly to filter and analyze tracking data, and export reports as needed for deeper analysis.

      Example use cases

      Here are some examples of how WeGive clients use UTM tracking:

      • Tracking donations that come from email newsletters vs. social media vs. paid ads.

      • Measuring the performance of different peer-to-peer fundraisers by using a fundraiser_id parameter.

      • Assigning donations to partner organizations or affiliates using a partner_code parameter.

      • Comparing the impact of different call-to-action buttons on the same page by using utm_content.

      Need help?

      If you would like help setting up UTM tracking, defining custom query parameters, or configuring reports, please contact your WeGive Customer Success Manager or reach out to us at help@wegive.com.