What is Source Tracking?
Source tracking is a way to monitor where your online campaign traffic is coming from. When someone clicks a link to your Pledge It campaign, source tracking captures information about how they got there — whether that was through an email newsletter, a Facebook post, a text message blast, or a link on your website. This is done with the use of URL parameters, which are simply small tags added to the end of your campaign URL.
For example, your standard Pledge It campaign link might look like this: https://charity.pledgeit.org/gala-template
A source-tracked link might look like this:
Breaking that down, this link tells Pledge It two things:
utm_source=email: the traffic came from an email
utm_medium=newsletter: specifically, it came from a newsletter format
To your donor, the experience is identical, they click the link and land on your campaign page. But behind the scenes, Pledge It tracks that this particular visitor came from your email newsletter. When this visitor donates or registers for your event, you will see the source tracking information associated with their online transaction.
How to Use Source Tracking in Pledge It
Source Tracking is an optional feature that can be enabled across all campaigns. When turned on, Pledge It will track five standard URL parameters, including:
Name | URL Parameter | Description |
Source | utm_source | The origin platform (e.g., newsletter). |
Medium | utm_medium | The channel type (e.g., email). |
Campaign | utm_campaign | The specific campaign or promotion (e.g., summer_sale) |
Term | utm_term | Used for tracking paid search keywords. |
Content | utm_content | Used to differentiate between similar links or ad variations within the same campaign. |
In addition to tracking the standard URL parameters, you can set up custom UTM parameters to track unique attributes about your campaign.
Steps to Enable Source Tracking
Visit your Organization Dashboard.
Select Org Settings and then Global Defaults on the left side menu.
Visit the Source Tracking tab.
Adjust the toggle to enable Source Tracking. The standard URL parameters will appear, with an option to add a Custom URL parameter if desired.
Helpful tips for adding a custom URL parameter:
The URL parameter should be all lowercase.
The URL parameter should be alphanumeric.
The URL parameter should not include spaces. Instead, it should use underscore for spaces.
The URL parameter should be unique.
What Activities are Tracked and Where is the Data?
URL parameters are tracked when one of the following activities is completed by your supporter when using your configured URL:
Activity | View in Dashboard | View in Report |
Donation is made using Quick Give | Donation Snapshot | Donations Report Paid Transactions Report |
Participant is Registered using GivePoint Cart | Participant Snapshot Order Snapshot | Participants Report Orders Report Paid Transactions Report
|
Team is Created using GivePoint Cart | Team Snapshot Order Snapshot | Teams Report Orders Report Paid Transactions Report |
Shop product is purchased using GivePoint Cart | Order Snapshot | Orders Report Paid Transactions Report |
Raffle entry is purchased using GivePoint Cart | Order Snapshot | Orders Report Paid Transactions Report |
Donation is made using GivePoint Cart | Order Snapshot | Orders Report Paid Transactions Report |
Note: Sponsor Checkout, Silent Auction Registration and Checkout, and Virtual Raffle Checkout activities are not tracked.
How to Configure your URL
Note: In order to collect source tracking data, you must configure the URL that you are sharing via your channels. Without the URL configuration that includes your URL parameters, the source cannot be tracked.
Start with your campaign page's URL. You can copy the URL link from your campaign dashboard when clicking "Share" in the top right corner or grab it from the address bar when viewing your public campaign page.
Once you have obtained the URL, follow the structure below:
At the end of your campaign page URL, add a question mark (?) before adding your URL parameter (utm_source, utm_medium, etc.)
Next, for the URL parameter, populate the value that will be tracked by adding an equals sign (=) followed by the value (=facebook, =newsletter, etc)
Separate URL parameters by an ampersand (&) to add multiple URL parameters to your campaign URL.
Tip: If you’re looking for help to create your URLs, check out an online tool like the Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder.
Examples and Helpful Tips
Example of Tracking One URL Parameter:
This is the simplest form of source tracking — a single parameter appended to your campaign URL. In this example, utm_source=email tells Pledge It that the visitor who registered arrived from an email. This is useful when you want a quick way to distinguish one channel from another, such as knowing whether registrations came from an email versus a social post you made the same day.
Example of Tracking Multiple URL Parameters:
Multiple parameters are chained together using the & symbol, allowing you to capture a much richer picture of where your traffic is coming from. In this example, Pledge It is capturing three pieces of information:
utm_source=facebook: the visitor came from Facebook
utm_medium=social: the channel type was social media
utm_campaign=spring2026: the visit was driven by your Spring 2026 campaign
Together, these three tags tell a complete story: a donor to your campaign clicked a social media post on Facebook as part of your Spring 2026 campaign. The more parameters you use, the more precisely you can analyze what's working.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can source tracking be disabled after it has been turned on?
Yes. Disabling source tracking will stop tracking all URL parameters and stop showing source tracking information on snapshots and reports, but will keep any tracked data already collected. Data is not collected when source tracking is disabled, but previously collected data will be accessible if the feature is turned on again.
Can I delete a custom URL parameter that I no longer need?
Yes, but the action cannot be undone. Deleting a custom URL parameter will remove the custom URL parameter and permanently delete any tracked data affiliated with it. Before you permanently delete a custom URL parameter, we recommend exporting any tracked data from Reporting.
Does source tracking work on other URLs within my campaign?
You can also configure source tracking for Individual Fundraiser Page and Team Page URLs. For example, if you configure a tracking link for a team page URL, you will be able to track both donation and registration made from that team page's tracking link.
Where can I find source tracking data in my reports?
Source tracking data can be found in the following reports:
The source tracking information is included at the very end of the report, after custom questions.
Why can't I see source tracking data?
Source tracking data is only collected when the feature is enabled for your organization, the URL you’re sharing with supporters is properly configured, and when one of the following activities occurs:
A donation is made to your campaign using the Quick Give checkout experience.
An order is completed using the GivePoint Cart checkout experience. The order may include:
Registration
Shop products
Raffle entries
In-order donation