A Non-Intimidating Guide to Setting Up GA4 Events That Actually Matter
TL;DR If GA4 has ever felt confusing, you’re not alone. This guide outlines the essential events nonprofits need, how to set them up with ease, and how to turn that data into meaningful action. Everything you need, nothing you don’t.
A new year brings a fresh round of planning for nonprofit teams, along with the question that guides so many decisions: which efforts are truly moving your mission forward?
Enter GA4. Yes, the analytics tool that sparked collective stress from marketing teams everywhere. But here’s the thing. GA4 can absolutely be your friend, especially when it comes to tracking the actions that actually matter for your mission.
At Avenue, we help purpose driven organizations make sense of GA4. This guide walks you through how to set up meaningful GA4 events in a simple way so you can collect data that best supports your work.
Why GA4 Events Matter for Nonprofits
Your work deserves insights that help you grow meaningfully. GA4’s event based model is built for that. Instead of drowning you in vanity metrics, events let you zero in on the behaviors that matter most, like:
When someone donates
A volunteer signs up
Someone watches your impact video
A supporter downloads a resource
A visitor clicks on the button you need them to see
Ultimately clear events lead to clear decisions. And clear decisions lead to more impact.
The Events Every Nonprofit Should Track
Let’s skip the hundred optional events you could track. Here are the ones that genuinely move the needle for nonprofit teams.
1. Donation Start
Tracks when someone clicks into your donation form or widget.
Why it matters:
You can spot where folks drop off, which helps you improve the overall donation experience.
2. Donation Complete
Tracks when a donor reaches your thank you page or completes your donation widget.
Why it matters:
This is your primary conversion. This is your north star.
3. Newsletter Sign Up
Tracks new subscribers across forms and buttons.
Why it matters:
Email is still one of the strongest channels for nonprofits. You want to know which pages and campaigns drive sign ups.
4. Volunteer Sign Up
Tracks form submissions or landing page thank you confirmations.
Why it matters:
You can see which promotional efforts actually grow your volunteer pipeline.
5. Resource Download
Tracks PDF downloads, viewable documents, or guide interactions.
Why it matters:
Great for organizations who offer toolkits, research, or educational materials.
6. Clicks on High Priority CTAs
Examples include:
Register for event
Learn more about our services
Why it matters:
CTA engagement shows you what your website visitors care about, even if they don’t convert just yet.
How to Set Up the GA4 Events You Need
This is the part marketers fear most. Good news: it’s simpler than you think. You’ll be working inside GA4 and Google Tag Manager (GTM). If you don’t use GTM, you can still follow along, but GTM will definitely make your life easier.
Step 1: Turn on Enhanced Measurement
Admin → Data Streams → Enhanced Measurement → Turn it on
This automatically tracks scrolls, outbound clicks, file downloads, site search, and video views.
You’re already making good progress, thanks to GA4’s built in tracking.
Step 2: Build Your First Custom Event in GA4
If your donation tool uses a dedicated thank you page, GA4 can create a simple event without GTM.
In GA4:
Admin → Events → Create Event
Set it like this:
Event name: donation_complete
Conditions:
event_name equals page_view
page_location contains thank-you
Save it, then go to:
Conversions → New Conversion Event → donation_complete
GA4 will now treat donation completions as conversions.
Step 3: Make Form Submissions Trackable in GTM
If you use Gravity Forms, HubSpot, Jotform, or similar tools, GTM will give you cleaner, more accurate tracking than GA4 alone.
In GTM:
Trigger → Form Submission
Tag → GA4 Event
Event name: form_submit
Parameters: form_id or form_name
Publish your container.
In GA4, mark form_submit as a conversion.
Step 4: Track Donation Starts
This is an underrated metric.
In GTM, create a Click Trigger that fires when someone clicks the donation button or opens your donation widget.
Tag → GA4 Event
Event name: donation_start
Now you can see the gap between starting and completing donations.
Spoiler alert: that gap is often where optimization work begins.
Step 5: Track Resource Downloads
If your downloads are tracked automatically through enhanced measurement, you’re good. If not:
GTM → Trigger → Link Click
Condition: file extension contains pdf (or doc)
Tag → GA4 Event
Event name: resource_download
What Your GA4 Events Should Look Like by January
If you want a clean, reliable dashboard going into the new year, aim for:
donation_start
donation_complete
newsletter_signup
volunteer_signup
resource_download
cta_click
form_submit
This set gives you a strong foundation without overwhelming you.
Expand your event list as needed based on the goals that matter most for your organization.
How to Use GA4 Events to Make Better Decisions
Here’s what happens once you start collecting events that matter.
You know which channels actually drive donations
If organic search brings donors and Instagram brings sign ups, you can tailor messaging based on what each channel does best.
You can improve your donation flow with data, not guesses
A thousand people might click the donate button. Only thirty may complete it. Now you can investigate the drop off.
You understand how supporters interact with your content
Maybe guide downloads outperform blog posts. Maybe your impact video gets watched more than you thought. You’ll finally see it for certain.
You can prove the value of your marketing
GA4 gives you a clean, credible way to show the impact of your work without complicated reports.
Closing Thoughts
GA4 can definitely feel confusing at first. But it doesn’t need to stay that way. Once you set up a few core events, everything becomes much clearer.
And the payoff is real. Meaningful metrics give you confidence, clarity, and a stronger digital strategy. Which means more donors, more volunteers, more awareness, and ultimately more impact.
If you want support setting up your GA4 events or cleaning up old tracking, Avenue’s team is ready to help you walk into the new year with solid data and even stronger strategy.
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