Amplitude

Create a free Starter account at amplitude.com. No credit card required. Explore the demo project to see sample dashboards, funnel analysis, and Session Replay in action.

Pro tip: Before diving into setup, spend 20 minutes clicking through the demo project to understand what's possible. This clarifies what you'll want to track.

Complete the "Getting Started with Amplitude Analytics" badged learning path at Amplitude Academy. This 1.5-hour course teaches navigation, chart types (Event Segmentation, Funnels, Retention), and foundational concepts.

Why this matters: Understanding how Amplitude thinks about data (events, user properties, cohorts) before setup prevents costly mistakes during instrumentation.

What to track: List 10-15 key user actions you want to measure. For a donor portal: "Page Viewed," "Donation Started," "Payment Submitted," "Profile Updated," "Giving History Clicked," "Recurring Gift Modified," etc.

User properties: Define attributes like "Donor Type" (monthly/annual/major), "Total Lifetime Giving," "Join Date," "Preferred Contact Method."

Pro tip: Start simple. Track 5-10 critical events first, then expand. Over-instrumentation at the start overwhelms your team and delays insights.

Work with your developer (or technical volunteer) to integrate Amplitude's SDK (JavaScript for web, or iOS/Android for mobile apps). Follow the SDK documentation to tag events and user properties.

Timeline: Simple setup (basic page views + 5-10 events): 5-8 hours. Complex setup (multi-step funnels, detailed interactions): 15+ hours.

Testing: Use Amplitude's real-time event stream to verify data is flowing correctly before rolling out broadly.

Once data is collecting (give it 24-48 hours for meaningful volume), build 2-3 starter dashboards:

• Funnel Analysis: Track donation flow (landing → start donation → payment → confirmation). See where drop-offs occur.
• Retention Report: Measure how many donors return to portal after first visit (7-day, 30-day retention).
• Event Segmentation: See which features in your portal are used most (e.g., "Giving History" vs. "Tax Receipt Download").

Quick win: Identify your biggest drop-off point in the donation funnel within the first week—this alone often justifies the implementation effort.

Once you have 3-6 months of behavioral data, experiment with Amplitude's AI features:

• Predictive Cohorts: Create a cohort of "donors likely to churn in next 30 days" and trigger re-engagement campaigns.
• Causal Insights: Discover which features drive long-term retention (e.g., "users who update their profile in first week have 3x retention").
• Session Replay: Filter for sessions where donors abandoned checkout, then watch replays to understand why.

Amplitude doesn't advertise a specific nonprofit discount program. However, the free Starter plan is generous—supporting up to 50,000 monthly tracked users (MTUs) and 10 million events per month, which works for many small to mid-sized nonprofits testing digital analytics. The Plus plan starts at $49/month. Contact Amplitude sales directly to inquire about potential nonprofit pricing.

Google Analytics (GA4) is session-based and tracks website traffic sources, while Amplitude is event-based and tracks individual user behavior. GA4 is free and best for understanding where visitors come from. Amplitude requires setup but excels at understanding what users do after they arrive—ideal for donor portals, mobile apps, and complex user journeys. Many nonprofits use both: GA4 for traffic, Amplitude for behavior.

Amplitude has a moderate learning curve. Someone comfortable with data concepts (like funnels, retention, segmentation) can learn it through Amplitude Academy (free tutorials). Initial setup requires technical skills to instrument event tracking, which takes 5-15 hours. Ongoing analysis is doable for non-technical staff after training. Dedicated analytics expertise helps maximize value, but isn't strictly required for basic use.

Amplitude's Predictive Cohorts feature uses machine learning trained on hundreds of behavioral signals (login frequency, feature usage, engagement patterns) to calculate a probabilistic score for each user. It predicts likelihood of performing (or not performing) an action within 7, 30, 60, or 90 days. For donor churn, it identifies supporters showing early warning signs (decreased logins, fewer clicks, abandoned actions) so you can intervene before they lapse.

Yes, Amplitude offers native integration with Salesforce CRM, including Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud. The integration syncs user behavior data from Amplitude to Salesforce, enabling you to create detailed user profiles combining CRM data (donations, relationships) with behavioral data (portal usage, engagement patterns). Setup requires admin access and field mapping, typically taking 1-3 hours.

It depends on your needs. Amplitude emphasizes data governance, advanced reporting, and predictive analytics—better for organizations with complex behavioral analysis needs. Mixpanel is easier to learn, more affordable for smaller teams, and includes marketing automation features. Choose Amplitude if you need deep predictive insights and have someone to manage it. Choose Mixpanel if you want faster setup and simpler interface.

Amplitude's AI works best with at least 6 months of engagement data and 500+ active users. Predictive features need 3+ months of individual user history per contact to generate accurate scores. With less data, predictions rely on industry benchmarks (less personalized). The more behavioral signals (clicks, page views, feature usage) you track, the more accurate the predictions become.