Customer Data Platforms

Segment for Nonprofits: Unified Donor Data with AI Predictions

Segment is a customer data platform (CDP) that breaks down data silos by collecting donor interactions from your website, email campaigns, donation platforms, CRM, and 700+ other tools—then unifying everything into complete donor profiles. With AI-powered predictions for purchase likelihood, churn risk, and lifetime value, Segment transforms scattered data into actionable insights that drive personalized engagement and smarter fundraising decisions.

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What It Does

Tired of piecing together donor behavior from five different spreadsheets? Segment automatically collects every interaction—website visits, email clicks, donation form submissions, event registrations, social media engagement—and stitches them together into unified donor profiles that update in real-time.

Instead of manually exporting data from your email platform, importing it into your CRM, then cross-referencing Google Analytics to understand donor behavior, Segment becomes the single source of truth. When a donor visits your website from an email campaign, donates through Stripe, and later registers for an event, Segment connects all those dots automatically—giving you a complete view of their journey without the spreadsheet juggling.

With AI-powered Predictions, Segment goes beyond data collection to forecast which donors are most likely to give again, which supporters risk lapsing, and what each contact's future giving potential looks like—enabling proactive engagement strategies instead of reactive guesswork.

Best For

Organization Size

Mid-sized to large nonprofits (5,000+ active supporters) with multiple digital touchpoints and at least one technical staff member or consultant who can manage implementation. Startups in the nonprofit space (incorporated less than 2 years ago) can access generous credits through Segment's startup program.

Best Use Cases

Organizations using 5+ digital tools (CRM, email platform, analytics, donation processor, advertising platforms) that don't communicate with each other
Nonprofits running multi-channel campaigns and struggling to track donor journeys across website, email, social media, and offline events
Development teams needing to identify major donor prospects, predict churn risk, or segment audiences based on complex behavioral patterns
Organizations preparing for growth who want scalable data infrastructure that won't need replacement in 2-3 years
Nonprofits with data warehouses (BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift) wanting to centralize donor data for advanced analysis

Ideal For

Development Directors, Marketing Directors, Data Analysts, Database Administrators, and CTOs/Technology Directors looking to eliminate data silos and build a unified view of donor engagement.

Key Features for Nonprofits

700+ Pre-Built Integrations

Connect every tool in your nonprofit tech stack without custom development

Segment integrates seamlessly with popular nonprofit platforms including Salesforce, DonorPerfect, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Stripe, Donorbox, Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, HubSpot, Eventbrite, and hundreds more. Add a new tool to your stack? Just flip a switch in Segment—no engineering work required. Your data flows automatically to every destination you choose.

Identity Resolution & Profile Unification

Automatically connect anonymous visitors to known donors across devices and channels

Segment's Personas product tracks user behavior across your website, mobile app, email, and other touchpoints—then merges those interactions into complete profiles when donors identify themselves (by filling out a form, donating, or clicking an email link). See the full donor journey from first website visit to major gift, even when they use different devices or browsers.

AI-Powered Predictions

Machine learning models forecast donor behavior without data science expertise

Segment's Predictions feature uses machine learning to identify which donors are likely to give, churn, or become major supporters—based on behavioral patterns like website visits, email engagement, and giving history. Create predictive audiences ("ready to upgrade to monthly giving," "at risk of lapsing," "potential major donor") that update automatically, then activate them in your CRM or email platform with one click.

Likelihood to Purchase/Donate: Predict probability of next donation within 30 days
Predicted Lifetime Value: Forecast total giving over next 120 days
Likelihood to Churn: Identify supporters at risk of disengagement before they lapse

Real-Time Audience Building

Create sophisticated donor segments based on behavior, traits, and predictions

Build audiences like "Monthly donors who visited the major gifts page in the last 7 days but haven't upgraded" or "First-time donors interested in environmental programs who opened 3+ emails this month." Audiences update in real-time as donor behavior changes, and sync automatically to your email platform, CRM, or ad platforms for immediate activation.

Reverse ETL & Data Warehouse Integration

Connect directly to BigQuery, Snowflake, Databricks, Redshift, or Postgres

If your nonprofit has a data warehouse, Segment can both send data TO it (for analysis) and pull data FROM it (Reverse ETL) to activate warehouse-based segments in your marketing tools. This "warehouse-first" approach gives your data team flexibility while keeping marketers empowered to act on insights without engineering support.

Data Governance & Privacy Controls

Built-in consent management and compliance features for GDPR/CCPA

Segment includes Privacy Portal for managing user deletion requests, Consent Management to respect opt-outs across all platforms, and Data Validation to ensure accurate tracking. SOC 2 Type II certified with role-based access controls to protect sensitive donor information.

How This Tool Uses AI

What's Actually AI-Powered

Predictions (ML-Based Behavioral Forecasting)

Type of AI: Supervised machine learning models trained on billions of customer interactions across Segment's entire network (anonymized data from thousands of companies).

What it does: Analyzes your donor data (giving history, website behavior, email engagement, event attendance) to predict the likelihood of specific actions—such as making another donation, churning, or becoming a high-value supporter.

How it learns: Segment's models are pre-trained on cross-industry data, then fine-tune themselves on YOUR nonprofit's specific data patterns. After 3-6 months of data collection, predictions become highly accurate to your unique donor behaviors.

Practical impact: Instead of manually scoring donors based on recency/frequency/monetary value, Segment automatically flags "likely to give in next 30 days" or "at risk of lapsing in next 60 days"—enabling proactive outreach before opportunities slip away.

AI-Suggested Mappings

Type of AI: Natural language processing (NLP) combined with semantic matching algorithms.

What it does: When connecting a new data source or destination, Segment's AI analyzes field names and data structures to automatically suggest how fields should map to each other—for example, matching "email_address" in one system to "contact_email" in another.

How it learns: Uses pattern recognition from millions of previous integrations across Segment's platform to identify common field mappings and naming conventions.

Practical impact: Reduces data mapping time from hours to minutes when setting up new integrations, minimizing errors and accelerating time-to-value.

Predictive Audiences

Type of AI: Clustering algorithms and propensity modeling.

What it does: Automatically groups donors into behavior-based segments like "Ready to Buy," "Dormant," "Potential VIPs," and "At-Risk Churners" based on engagement patterns, giving history, and predicted lifetime value.

How it learns: Continuously updates segment membership as new behavioral data flows in, ensuring audiences stay current without manual refreshes.

Practical impact: Development staff can create campaigns targeting "Likely to upgrade to monthly giving" without building complex SQL queries or waiting for data analysts—the AI handles segmentation automatically.

What's NOT AI (But Still Useful)

Event Tracking: Capturing pageviews, clicks, form submissions, and donations is standard analytics instrumentation, not AI.
Integration Connectors: The 700+ pre-built integrations are APIs and data pipelines, not AI-powered connections.
Manual Audience Building: Creating segments based on rules ("donated in last 90 days AND opened email in last 7 days") uses boolean logic, not AI.
Data Warehousing: Sending data to BigQuery or Snowflake is ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) infrastructure, not machine learning.

AI Transparency & Limitations

Data Requirements: Predictions require at least 3-6 months of behavioral data and a minimum volume of events/users to generate accurate forecasts. Small nonprofits with limited data may see less reliable predictions initially.
Model Transparency: Segment doesn't expose the inner workings of their ML models—you can see predictions but not precisely how they're calculated. This is a "black box" approach common in SaaS AI tools.
Human Oversight Needed: AI predictions should inform decisions, not make them autonomously. Always review predicted audiences before launching campaigns—AI can miss context (like planned events or external factors) that humans understand.
Bias Potential: If your historical data reflects biased patterns (e.g., underinvesting in certain donor segments), AI predictions may perpetuate those biases. Regularly audit predicted audiences for unexpected skews.

Real-World Nonprofit Use Case

A regional environmental nonprofit with 12,000 active supporters was struggling to understand donor journeys across their website, email campaigns (Mailchimp), donation platform (Donorbox), event registrations (Eventbrite), and CRM (DonorPerfect). Data lived in silos—the development team couldn't see which email campaigns drove website visits, which website visitors eventually donated, or how event attendees engaged after the event ended.

After implementing Segment, they connected all five platforms in two weeks. Segment automatically unified donor identities across touchpoints, creating complete profiles that showed the full engagement journey. The development director discovered that donors who attended in-person events AND received the monthly newsletter had a 4x higher retention rate than those who only did one or the other.

Using Segment's Predictions feature, they built a "Likely to Become Monthly Donor" audience—identifying one-time donors with high engagement who showed behavioral patterns similar to existing monthly supporters. They launched a targeted email campaign to this 400-person segment, resulting in 47 new monthly donors (11.8% conversion rate) compared to their typical 2-3% conversion on mass appeals.

The organization also used Segment's churn prediction to identify 200 monthly donors at risk of canceling. A personalized outreach campaign featuring impact stories specific to each donor's interests (tracked through website behavior) retained 68% of at-risk donors—saving approximately $24,000 in annual recurring revenue.

Result: 35% reduction in time spent on data management (staff redirected to donor relationships), 47 new monthly donors acquired through predictive targeting, and $24K in retained revenue from churn prevention—all within six months of implementation.

Pricing

Free Developer Plan(Best for Testing & Small Nonprofits)

$0/month

Up to 1,000 Monthly Tracked Users (MTUs)
500,000 monthly Reverse ETL records
2 data sources (e.g., website + mobile app)
Access to 450+ integrations
1 data warehouse destination

Ideal for small nonprofits piloting customer data platforms or organizations with under 1,000 unique monthly website visitors.

Team Plan (Connections)(For Growing Nonprofits)

~$120/month

Scales with Monthly Tracked Users (MTUs)
Unlimited sources and destinations
700+ integrations included
Multiple data warehouse destinations
Advanced data validation and governance

Pricing increases based on volume; contact Segment for custom quotes beyond base tier.

Customer Data Platform (CDP)(Enterprise-Level Features)

Custom Pricing

Personas (identity resolution, profile unification, trait building)
Predictions (AI-powered likelihood to purchase, churn, lifetime value)
Predictive Audiences (ready to buy, dormant, potential VIPs)
Real-time audience activation across all platforms
Advanced privacy controls and consent management

Contact Segment sales for detailed pricing based on your organization's size, MTUs, and features needed.

Segment Startup Program

Up to $25,000 in Credits

Eligible startups receive up to 24 months completely free, including access to Segment's Team plan, startup resources, and up to $1M in free software from partner companies (HubSpot, Intercom, Stripe, and others).

Eligibility Requirements:

Incorporated less than 2 years ago
Up to $5MM in total funding raised

Note: Most established nonprofits won't qualify for the startup program, but newer nonprofit ventures or social enterprises may be eligible.

Free Trial Details

Segment's free Developer plan is available indefinitely (no time limit) as long as you stay under 1,000 MTUs. For paid plans, Segment typically offers custom trial periods during the sales process—contact their team to request a pilot period appropriate for your nonprofit's evaluation timeline.

Nonprofit Discount & Special Offers

No Advertised Nonprofit Discount: Segment doesn't currently offer a publicized nonprofit discount program. However, nonprofit startups (incorporated less than 2 years ago with less than $5MM in funding) may qualify for the Segment Startup Program, which provides up to $25,000 in credits for 24 months of free usage.

For established nonprofits not eligible for the startup program, the free Developer plan (up to 1,000 MTUs) may be sufficient for smaller organizations. Mid-to-large nonprofits should contact Segment's sales team directly to inquire about custom pricing or potential nonprofit accommodations—enterprise software companies often provide flexibility for mission-driven organizations even without formal programs.

Recommendation: When reaching out to Segment sales, emphasize your nonprofit status, provide context about your budget constraints, and ask if they have any special pricing considerations for 501(c)(3) organizations or mission-driven entities. Larger nonprofits with substantial budgets may negotiate volume discounts or multi-year contracts with better rates.

Note: Prices may be outdated or inaccurate.

Learning Curve

Intermediate

Segment's learning curve is intermediate—steeper than email marketing tools but more accessible than building custom data pipelines from scratch. Non-technical users can manage integrations and audience building through the UI, but initial setup (tracking code implementation, identity resolution configuration) typically requires a developer or technical consultant.

What Makes It Approachable:

No-Code Integrations: Adding destinations (like Mailchimp or Facebook Ads) requires just flipping toggles and entering API keys—no coding needed.
Visual Audience Builder: Creating segments uses an intuitive drag-and-drop interface similar to advanced email marketing platforms.
Extensive Documentation: Segment provides comprehensive guides, video tutorials, and integration-specific instructions for every connector.
Debugger & Live Inspector: Real-time event monitoring helps troubleshoot tracking issues visually without diving into logs.

What Requires Technical Knowledge:

Initial Tracking Implementation: Installing Segment's JavaScript library on your website and configuring event tracking (pageviews, button clicks, form submissions) requires basic web development skills.
Identity Resolution Strategy: Deciding how to merge anonymous visitors with known donors requires understanding your data architecture and user flow.
Data Warehouse Setup: Connecting to BigQuery, Snowflake, or Redshift requires database knowledge and schema design decisions.
Advanced Transformations: Custom data manipulation or enrichment may require SQL knowledge or working with Segment Functions (JavaScript).

Time to Competency:

Basic Setup (Developer): 1-2 weeks to install tracking code, connect 2-3 key integrations, and verify data flows.
Audience Building (Marketer): 2-4 hours to learn the UI and create first predictive audiences if you're familiar with segmentation concepts.
Advanced Features (Data Analyst): 1-3 months to master Predictions, Reverse ETL, and complex identity resolution strategies.

Bottom Line: Nonprofits with at least one technical staff member (or access to a consultant) can implement Segment successfully. Marketing and development teams can then self-serve for ongoing audience building and campaign activation without engineering support.

Integration & Compatibility

Segment is fundamentally an integration platform—its entire value proposition is connecting disparate tools seamlessly. With 700+ pre-built integrations across marketing, analytics, CRM, advertising, and data warehousing, Segment likely connects to most tools in your nonprofit's tech stack.

Popular Nonprofit Integrations:

🎯 CRM & Fundraising

• Salesforce / Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud
• DonorPerfect
• Bloomerang
• Blackbaud (via API)
• Virtuous
• HubSpot

📧 Email & Marketing

• Mailchimp
• Constant Contact
• ActiveCampaign
• Klaviyo
• Brevo (Sendinblue)
• Twilio (SMS)

💳 Donation Platforms

• Stripe
• Donorbox
• Classy
• GiveWP (WordPress)
• PayPal
• Shopify (for merch)

📊 Analytics & Advertising

• Google Analytics (GA4)
• Facebook Pixel / Meta Ads
• Google Ads
• Mixpanel
• Amplitude
• Heap

🗄️ Data Warehouses

• Google BigQuery
• Snowflake
• Amazon Redshift
• Databricks
• PostgreSQL
• MySQL

🛠️ Workflow & Automation

• Zapier
• Make (Integromat)
• Slack
• Microsoft Teams
• Airtable
• Asana

Data Portability & Export:

Warehouse Sync: All your data automatically flows to your data warehouse (if configured), ensuring you always have a complete copy outside Segment.
Raw Event Data: Access every tracked event via Segment's API for custom analysis or migration purposes.
Audience Exports: Download audience lists as CSV files or sync them automatically to any connected destination.
No Lock-In: If you leave Segment, your data remains in your warehouse and all destination tools you connected still function independently.

Platform Compatibility:

Web: JavaScript library for tracking website interactions (all modern browsers supported)
Mobile: Native SDKs for iOS (Swift/Objective-C) and Android (Java/Kotlin)
Server-Side: Libraries for Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, Go, and .NET for backend tracking
Cloud Functions: Segment Functions (JavaScript) for custom transformations and enrichment

Pros & Cons

Pros

Industry-Leading Integrations: 700+ pre-built connectors cover virtually every tool nonprofits use, with superior documentation and reliability.
Ease of Use (Post-Setup): Non-technical marketers can build audiences and activate campaigns without engineering support once initial implementation is complete.
AI Predictions Out-of-the-Box: Access sophisticated machine learning models (churn prediction, lifetime value, propensity scoring) without hiring data scientists.
Real-Time Data Sync: Updates flow instantly across all connected tools, ensuring consistent donor information everywhere.
Time Savings: Forrester study found 35% reduction in data management time compared to homegrown solutions—freeing staff for donor relationships.
Enterprise Security: SOC 2 Type II certified, GDPR/CCPA compliant, with role-based access controls and audit logs.
Generous Startup Program: Up to $25K in credits (24 months free) for eligible early-stage nonprofits or social enterprises.

Cons

No Nonprofit Discount: Unlike many nonprofit tools, Segment doesn't offer a formal nonprofit pricing program—costs can be significant for larger organizations.
Technical Implementation Required: Initial setup demands developer skills for tracking code installation and configuration—not plug-and-play like email tools.
MTU Pricing Can Scale Quickly: As your audience grows, Monthly Tracked User costs increase—potentially expensive for rapidly growing nonprofits (consider RudderStack if budget-sensitive).
Overkill for Small Nonprofits: Organizations under 1,000 active supporters with simple tech stacks may not justify the complexity or cost—direct integrations may suffice.
AI Requires Data Volume: Predictions work best with 3-6 months of data and sufficient event volume—small nonprofits may see limited AI value initially.
Black Box ML Models: You can't see how Segment's AI makes predictions—requires trusting proprietary algorithms without full transparency.
Learning Curve for Advanced Features: Mastering identity resolution, Predictions, and Reverse ETL takes time even for technically proficient teams.

Alternatives to Consider

RudderStack(Open-Source, Warehouse-Native)

Best for: Developer-centric nonprofits with data warehouses wanting cost savings (50-80% cheaper than Segment) and full control over their data infrastructure.

Key Difference: RudderStack stores NO data on its platform—everything flows directly to your warehouse. Charges by event volume instead of MTUs. Open-source core allows self-hosting for maximum flexibility. HIPAA-compliant since 2020 (vs. Segment's beta HIPAA in 2022).

Trade-off: Steeper learning curve, fewer pre-built integrations (but growing), requires more technical expertise to implement and maintain. Choose RudderStack if you have engineering resources and prioritize cost control; choose Segment for easier implementation and superior documentation.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) + Google Tag Manager(Free Analytics Alternative)

Best for: Budget-conscious nonprofits primarily focused on website analytics and basic donor journey tracking, not full CDP capabilities.

Key Difference: GA4 is 100% free with unlimited tracking, plus Google Tag Manager allows connecting multiple tools without editing website code. However, GA4 is NOT a true CDP—it doesn't unify data across email, CRM, donation platforms, or create unified donor profiles automatically.

Trade-off: GA4 excels at website analytics but lacks Segment's identity resolution, predictive audiences, and seamless CRM integration. Use GA4 if you're primarily tracking website behavior; upgrade to Segment when you need cross-platform donor unification.

Zapier / Make (Integromat)(Workflow Automation Alternative)

Best for: Nonprofits with simple integration needs (connecting 3-5 tools) who don't require unified donor profiles or predictive analytics.

Key Difference: Zapier and Make connect apps via workflow automation ("when this happens in Tool A, do this in Tool B") but don't create unified customer profiles or provide AI predictions. They're integration tools, not customer data platforms.

Trade-off: Much easier to set up (no tracking code needed), significantly cheaper, but limited to one-way data syncs and simple triggers—not suitable for complex identity resolution or behavioral analysis. Start with Zapier/Make for basic automation; graduate to Segment when you need sophisticated data unification.

Getting Started with Segment

1Sign Up & Assess Your Data Sources

Create a free Segment account and inventory your current tech stack. List every platform where donor data lives: website, mobile app (if applicable), email platform, CRM, donation processor, event management tool, social media advertising, Google Analytics, etc. Identify which integrations are highest priority (typically website + CRM + email platform + donation platform) and which can wait.

Action: Use Segment's integration catalog to verify all your tools are supported. If a critical tool isn't listed, check if Segment's HTTP API or Webhooks can bridge the gap, or contact Segment support for custom solutions.

2Install Tracking Code & Connect Core Integrations

Work with your web developer (or consultant) to add Segment's JavaScript library to your website. Decide what events to track beyond basic pageviews: donation button clicks, form submissions, video views, newsletter signups, etc. Start simple (pageviews + 3-5 key events) and expand over time.

Once tracking is live, connect your first 2-3 destinations (e.g., Google Analytics, your CRM, your email platform) using Segment's integration marketplace. Configure field mappings (which Segment data goes to which CRM fields) and test that data flows correctly using Segment's Live Debugger.

Timeline: Expect 1-2 weeks for initial setup with dedicated technical resources; 3-4 weeks if juggling other priorities.

3Configure Identity Resolution & Build First Audiences

Decide how you'll identify donors across sessions: typically by email address (when they fill out forms or click email links) or unique donor ID (if your CRM passes it to Segment). Configure Segment's Personas to merge anonymous activity with known donor records.

Create your first 2-3 simple audiences to test activation workflows: "Donated in last 30 days," "Website visitors who haven't donated," "Email subscribers who opened 3+ emails this month." Sync these audiences to your email platform or CRM to verify they update correctly.

Tip: Start with rule-based segments before enabling AI Predictions—build confidence in Segment's core functionality before layering on machine learning.

4Enable AI Predictions & Optimize Over Time

After 3-6 months of data collection, enable Segment's Predictions feature to start forecasting donor behavior. Create predictive audiences for high-priority use cases: "Likely to donate in next 30 days" (for upgrade campaigns), "At risk of churning" (for retention efforts), "Predicted high lifetime value" (for major donor cultivation).

Test predictive audiences in small campaigns first—compare AI-targeted segments to your traditional manual segments to validate effectiveness. As confidence grows, expand AI-driven personalization across email, advertising, and CRM workflows.

Ongoing: Schedule monthly reviews of audience performance, add new event tracking as campaigns evolve, connect additional integrations as your tech stack expands, and train team members on self-service audience building to reduce bottlenecks.

Pro Tip: Start Small, Scale Strategically

Don't try to implement every Segment feature at once. Start with basic tracking and 2-3 core integrations, prove ROI with simple use cases (like syncing website behavior to your CRM for better donor context), then gradually add complexity. This approach reduces overwhelm, builds team buy-in through quick wins, and ensures your foundation is solid before layering on advanced features like Predictions or data warehouse sync.

Need Help Implementing Segment?

Setting up a customer data platform requires strategic planning, technical implementation, and ongoing optimization to maximize ROI.

I help nonprofits design data architectures that unify donor information across platforms, configure AI-powered audience segmentation, and train teams to leverage customer data platforms for smarter fundraising. Whether you're evaluating Segment vs. alternatives, need implementation support, or want to optimize an existing setup, I can guide you through the process.

Schedule a Consultation Explore Services

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Segment offer a nonprofit discount?

While Segment doesn't advertise a specific nonprofit discount, they offer a generous startup program with up to $25,000 in credits (24 months free) for organizations incorporated less than 2 years ago with up to $5MM in funding. Additionally, the free developer plan includes 1,000 monthly visitors and 500,000 monthly Reverse ETL records—sufficient for smaller nonprofits just starting with data unification. Contact Segment's sales team to inquire about nonprofit-specific pricing for established organizations.

What's the difference between Segment and a traditional CRM?

A CRM like Salesforce or DonorPerfect is where you manage donor relationships and fundraising workflows. Segment is a Customer Data Platform (CDP) that sits behind the scenes, collecting data from every touchpoint (website, email, donation platform, events, etc.) and unifying it into complete donor profiles. Think of Segment as the data plumbing that makes your CRM, email platform, and analytics tools work together seamlessly. Segment integrates WITH your CRM to enrich it with behavioral data from all your other tools.

Is Segment worth it for small nonprofits?

For most small nonprofits (under 1,000 active supporters), Segment may be overkill unless you're experiencing data integration problems. The free tier works for basic tracking, but Segment's value shines when you have multiple data sources that need to talk to each other—like Mailchimp, Stripe, Google Analytics, Salesforce, and Facebook Ads. If you're manually exporting/importing data between tools or struggling with incomplete donor profiles, Segment solves that. If your data lives primarily in one or two systems, stick with simpler tools until you outgrow them.

How long does it take to implement Segment?

Basic implementation can be done in 1-2 weeks for a simple setup: adding tracking code to your website, connecting 2-3 key integrations (like your CRM and email platform), and verifying data flows correctly. However, a comprehensive implementation that maximizes Segment's value—including identity resolution, audience building, predictive features, and integrating all data sources—typically takes 1-3 months depending on your technical resources. Segment provides extensive documentation and onboarding support. Expect to invest 10-20 hours initially if you have technical staff, or consider hiring a consultant for faster setup.

What are Monthly Tracked Users (MTUs) and how are they calculated?

Monthly Tracked Users (MTUs) are unique individuals who interact with your digital properties in a given month. Segment counts a person as one MTU whether they visit your website 1 time or 100 times in that month. For nonprofits, MTUs typically include website visitors, email subscribers who click links, donation page visitors, and app users. If you have 5,000 unique website visitors and 2,000 unique email openers (with 1,000 overlap), you'd have approximately 6,000 MTUs. The free tier includes 1,000 MTUs; pricing scales as your audience grows.

Can Segment help with GDPR and data privacy compliance?

Yes. Segment includes consent management features, data retention controls, and the ability to delete or suppress user data across all connected destinations when someone requests deletion. However, Segment is a data infrastructure tool—you're still responsible for obtaining proper consent, configuring privacy settings correctly, and maintaining compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations. Segment provides the tools (like Privacy Portal and consent preferences forwarding), but your organization must implement appropriate policies and procedures. Segment is SOC 2 Type II certified and complies with major privacy frameworks.

Should we choose Segment or RudderStack?

Choose Segment if you want a user-friendly, marketer-focused platform with extensive integrations, superior documentation, and don't mind paying for Monthly Tracked Users (MTUs). Choose RudderStack if you have developer resources, prefer open-source tools, want warehouse-native architecture (data goes directly to your warehouse without intermediary storage), and need to minimize costs (RudderStack typically costs 50-80% less than Segment). For most small-to-mid-sized nonprofits without dedicated engineering teams, Segment's ease of use justifies the cost. Tech-savvy nonprofits with data warehouses may prefer RudderStack's flexibility and pricing model.