Nonprofit Metrics You Need to Track
Metrics are some of the most important things your nonprofit can track…
But a recent survey* found that only 9% of nonprofits consider themselves “highly data-driven!”
For nonprofits that are busy juggling a million other things at once, metrics can quickly (and easily) fall to the wayside. But the reality is that making time for metrics is how you make better, more informed decisions about your marketing.
So, to help make things a little easier, here’s a checklist of metrics to track by platform.
Website metrics
Bounce rate/exit rate
Website traffic (by source)
Average browsing duration
Most and least visited pages
Social media metrics
Views on videos
Number of followers
Reach and impressions
Engagement by content type
Email marketing metrics
Bounce and unsubscribe rates
Number of subscribers/growth rate
Spam score/spam complaint frequency
Open, click-through, and conversion rates
Event-related metrics
Number of registrations
Number of new vs. returning attendees
Promotion type/registrations per promotion type
Number of follow-up emails sent (and responses)
Direct mail metrics
Response rate
Return on investment
Number of conversions/sign-ups
Cost per acquisition of customer/donor/attendee
Community engagement metrics
Number of new vs. existing partnerships
Amount raised from ticket sales, fundraising, etc.
Engagement with media/articles about the event
Number of participants at an event/festival/fundraiser
Setting yourself up for success
The best way to make sure you keep up with tracking your metrics is to make it as easy as possible for yourself and your team.
Create a system (or set up tools) to make things simple.
Consider creating a spreadsheet with all the metrics you need to track, and updating it each month. Or, split up responsibilities between staff members and volunteers to make sure everything gets done without overburdening anybody.
And remember: Just tracking your metrics isn’t what’s going to move the needle — you need to put your insights to use, learn from them, and apply them to your next big decisions.
That’s how you see real progress.
Want to make metric tracking even easier? Download a copy of this Nonprofit Metrics Checklist to keep your efforts on track and moving forward!
*Survey from: https://www.v-bcc.com/hubfs/2025-Nonprofit-Technology-Impact-Report.pdf
Clever Ideas Marketing® works with nonprofits and community organizations to increase awareness and reach with consistent and effective marketing. Schedule a free call here.
