You’ve filed. You’ve set your first goal. Maybe you’ve even sent your first ask.
Now what?
Once donations start coming in, it’s easy to just watch the total climb and hope for the best. But the candidates who build real fundraising momentum — especially without a dedicated finance staff — are the ones who know which numbers actually matter and what to do with them.
The good news: you don’t need a data analyst. You just need to look at three things.
1. Your toplines: contributions, dollars raised, and average gift
What it tells you: These three numbers give you a quick, honest picture of how your program is performing. Contributions and dollars raised are your core metrics. Average gift size — calculated by dividing total dollars raised by total number of contributions — tells you something important about who is giving: lots of small-dollar donors, or fewer donors giving more?
What to do with it: Check these numbers at least once a week. Are you on pace for your monthly or quarterly goal? If you know a slower stretch is coming (holidays, busy local news cycles), plan ahead — that’s when it pays to get creative with how you’re engaging supporters.
Also think about your average gift relative to your ask amounts. If your average is high, consider whether you’re making donors who give $5 or $10 feel just as valued. Early campaigns that grow sustainably tend to bring in many donors at their comfort level — not just a few larger checks.
Pro tip: If you’re using ActBlue, your topline numbers — contributions, dollars raised, and average gift — are right at the top of your Dashboard Overview. You can filter by any time period and see how individual forms are performing, too.
2. How many donors are giving on mobile
What it tells you: More than half of online donations are made on a phone or tablet. That means if your donation page or fundraising emails aren’t optimized for mobile, you’re likely leaving money on the table.
What to do with it: Before you send any fundraising email, test it on your phone. Does it load quickly? Is it easy to read? Is the donation link easy to tap? These small checks can meaningfully improve your results.
The same goes for your donation page itself — if a supporter clicks your link from a text message or a social post and hits a clunky mobile experience, you’ve lost them.
Did you know? ActBlue tracks what percentage of your donations come from mobile devices and shows it right in your dashboard — with a sitewide average as a benchmark. It’s an easy way to see if your mobile experience is keeping up.
3. Recurring donor retention
What it tells you: Recurring donors — people who give a set amount every month — are the foundation of a sustainable fundraising program. Retention measures how many of those donors stay active over time versus canceling. High retention means predictable revenue you can budget around. Low retention is a signal that your donor relationships need more attention.
What to do with it: Your recurring donors are your most committed supporters. Treat them that way. Instead of sending them the same fundraising emails as everyone else, prioritize thank-yous, campaign updates, and invitations to get more involved. They’ve already said yes — your job is to keep them feeling like insiders, not targets.
If you have a critical moment — a filing deadline, a key vote, a public launch — you can make a special one-time ask of your recurring donors, as long as you acknowledge and appreciate their ongoing support.
Pro tip: ActBlue’s Retention Matrix (found in the Recurring tab of your Dashboard) shows you exactly how long recurring donors stay active, grouped by the month they started giving. It’s a useful early-warning system if retention starts to slip.
You don’t need a finance director to use your data
Whether you’re a week into your campaign or a month in, these three numbers will tell you more about your fundraising health than almost anything else. Check them regularly, act on what you find, and adjust as you go.
That’s it. No analytics degree required.
Digital fundraising starts here
