What Are UTMs and How Do They Work in WeGive?

Last updated: December 19, 2025

UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules) are tracking parameters added to links to help you understand where donations are coming from.

In WeGive, UTMs allow you to see which emails, ads, campaigns, or platforms are driving successful donations.

What UTMs Track

UTMs track links, not people.
When a supporter clicks a tracked link and completes a donation, WeGive saves the UTM data on the payment.

This makes it possible to answer questions like:

  • Did this donation come from Facebook or email?

  • Was it a paid ad or an organic post?

  • Which campaign or appeal performed best?

Common UTM Fields in WeGive

FieldDescription

UTM Source

Where the supporter came from (e.g. facebook, google, email)

UTM Medium

How they arrived (e.g. paid, cpc, email, organic)

UTM Campaign

The campaign or appeal name (e.g. year_end_appeal)

UTM Content

Optional — used to differentiate ads, buttons, or link variations

UTM Term

Optional — typically used for paid search keywords

Where You’ll See UTMs in WeGive

UTM data is visible:

  • On individual Payment records

  • In payment exports

  • In reporting and filtering, allowing you to segment revenue by channel or campaign

Each payment also shows the Tracking URL, which is the exact link that captured the UTM data.

Example

If a supporter clicks a Facebook ad using this link:

https://donate.yoursite.org/checkout?utm_source=facebook
&utm_medium=paid
&utm_campaign=galatians_course

And then completes a donation, WeGive will record:

  • UTM Source: facebook

  • UTM Medium: paid

  • UTM Campaign: galatians_course

This allows you to directly attribute that donation to the Facebook campaign.

Best Practices

  • Use UTMs consistently across campaigns

  • Keep naming simple and readable

  • Use lowercase and underscores for consistency

  • Focus on source, medium, and campaign if you’re just getting started