For orgs with multiple teams, complex data, and growing expectations.

There are a million ways to measure nonprofit success. Some are helpful. Some are noise. And some are things you only measure because a grant report asked for them once in 2017 and now it’s part of someone’s monthly workflow forever.

Let’s cut through that.

If you're working in fundraising, programs, comms, or ops, and especially if you’re using HubSpot or trying to make your reporting setup a little less chaotic, here are 10 KPIs worth your time. These are the ones we see used most often by teams who are trying to keep their data clean, make smart decisions, and actually move the needle.

1. Donor Retention Rate

What it is:

The percentage of donors who gave last year and came back this year. This is one of the most widely used metrics in fundraising (you’ll see it referenced often by AFP and the Fundraising Effectiveness Project).

Why it matters:

Retention rates across the sector have dropped in the last couple years, especially among first-time donors. If your rate is low, that’s a signal that something’s off; maybe in your follow-up process, segmentation, or comms timing. It’s usually not about “more donors.” It’s about keeping the ones you already have.

How to track it in HubSpot:

• Create two smart lists: one for donors who gave last year (e.g., FY24), and one for donors who have given this year.
• Then create a third list to show overlap between the two -  that’s your retained cohort.
• Build a report to calculate the percentage retained, and filter by channel, region, or giving tier.
• Want to take action? Set up a workflow that automatically tags donors who gave last year but haven’t yet this year, and enrolls them in a personalized stewardship or re-engagement series.

2. Recurring Gift Growth

What it is:

The number of new recurring donors you're gaining each month, and how much monthly revenue that represents. You’ll also want to keep an eye on churn - how many donors cancel or lapse from the program.

Why it matters:

Recurring donors are the most stable revenue stream for many nonprofits. We often see retention above 80%, which is miles ahead of single-gift donors. It’s also easier to forecast and plan when you have steady, predictable income each month.

How to track it in HubSpot:

• Add a custom property to mark donors as “recurring,” or use a Custom Object for gifts that includes frequency and start date.
• Build a report to show new recurring donors each month, and total monthly recurring revenue (MRR).
• Want to get ahead of cancellations? Use a workflow to trigger a task or email when a recurring donor’s payment fails or their status changes.
  
  

3. Cost Per Dollar Raised (CPDR)

What it is:

Your total fundraising spend divided by the total amount raised. Usually calculated per campaign, per channel, or per time period.

Why it matters:

Measuring CPDR allows you to determine knowing what’s actually worth the investment. Events, paid ads, or acquisition campaigns might have high CPDR in the short term, but long-term value matters too. Without this number, it’s easy to overcommit to low-ROI efforts just because they “feel” successful.

How to track it in HubSpot:

• Use the Campaign tool to log effort-specific expenses (as custom properties or notes).
• Tie emails, ads, forms, landing pages, and social posts to that campaign.
• Attribute donations back to the campaign using Revenue Attribution reporting.
• Then calculate CPDR in a custom report: total cost ÷ total revenue. Filter by channel to compare performance.

4. Average Gift Size

What it is:

Total donation revenue divided by number of gifts typically tracked monthly or per campaign.

Why it matters:

Average gift size gives you a quick read on donor behavior. Are you getting more grassroots donors with small gifts? Is a major gift inflating your campaign results? This number helps contextualize fundraising performance and informs your segmentation and ask strategy.

How to track it in HubSpot:

• Use deal-based reports to calculate average gift size across time periods, campaigns, or donor segments.
• Segment reports by channel (email, direct mail, social, etc.) to see what’s influencing giving behavior.
• Want to improve targeting? Use gift history to group donors by tier, then tailor ask amounts accordingly.

5. Conversion Rate (Forms, Signups, Donations)

What it is:

The percentage of people who complete an action (like donating or signing up) divided by the number who saw the opportunity (like a landing page or form).

Why it matters:

This metric helps you catch friction points. If lots of people are visiting a page but few are taking action, the issue might be copy, layout, timing, or trust. It’s not always the audience, sometimes it’s the experience.

How to track it in HubSpot:

• Built-in analytics in HubSpot automatically track views and submissions for forms, CTAs, and landing pages.
• Identify which assets are underperforming. For donation forms, watch for high abandonment rates on mobile.
• Use A/B or adaptive testing on key pages (especially headline, button text, and form length).
• Build a dashboard showing conversion rates by campaign, source, or device type.

6. Volunteer Engagement Rate

What it is:

The percentage of your active or eligible volunteers who actually participated during a given period (attended events, logged hours, completed shifts).

Why it matters:

A big volunteer list doesn’t always mean strong engagement. This metric helps you understand who’s actually involved, and where you might need to adjust outreach, scheduling, or recognition. For larger orgs with distributed programs, it’s also key for resource planning.

How to track it in HubSpot:

• Set up a Custom Object like “Volunteer Shift” or “Volunteer Activity” and associate it with contacts.
• Record date, program, hours, and location or just log participation events.
• Build reports showing active vs. inactive volunteers over time, by program or region.
• Create a workflow that flags volunteers who haven’t participated in X days for re-engagement outreach.

7. Email Open and Click Rates (Segmented)

What it is:

Your email open and click-through rates broken down by audience type, not just tracked in one big average.

Why it matters:

Your board, your volunteers, and your major donors don’t all need to hear the same thing. Segmenting engagement helps you understand how different groups respond to your content, so you can adjust tone, timing, and topic accordingly. Low engagement in one segment might mean you’re sending too often, or not saying what that group actually cares about.

How to track it in HubSpot:

• Use smart lists to segment your contacts by donor tier, lifecycle stage, interest area, or geography.
• View performance reports for each email filtered by list or custom property.
• Identify which audiences are responding well, and which aren’t, so you can tailor future messaging.
• Add an engagement score property if you want to track individual-level behavior and use it for suppression or reactivation.

8. Program Output (Mission Metrics)

What it is:

The quantifiable results of your programs like people served, hours delivered, meals distributed, policies influenced. These are your “we did xyz thing” numbers.

Why it matters:

This is what your work looks like in the real world. For staff, it’s operational insight. For donors and funders, it’s proof of impact. If your program data lives in a separate tool or never makes it into reports, you’re missing a huge opportunity to show how resources are being turned into results.

How to track it in HubSpot:

• Use a custom object (e.g., “Workshop,” “Service,” “Case Closed”) and relate it to the appropriate Contact, Company (funder), or Program.
• Log date, location, type, and any relevant outputs.
• Build reports by program area, fund, or timeframe, and use this data in funder stewardship and annual impact reports.
• Bonus: Tie outputs back to the campaigns or donors who made them possible. That’s ROI your board will care about.

9. Supporter Growth Rate

What it is:

The number of new contacts added to your CRM in a given period, minus those removed, unsubscribed, or bounced. Tracked monthly or quarterly.

Why it matters:

As a nonprofit, the goal is going beyond maintaining your supporter base but nurturing and growing  it. If new supporters aren’t entering your system regularly, and retention is flat, you’re on a downward slope. Tracking this metric helps you see what outreach channels are working and when you need to change up your acquisition strategy.

How to track it in HubSpot:

• Use the “Create Date” property to group new contacts by month.
• Pair with “Original Source” to see where they came from: email signups, organic search, paid social, etc.
• Track net growth: new contacts minus unsubscribes, bounces, and deletions.
• Layer in lifecycle stages to see how many of those new contacts actually go on to become donors, volunteers, or advocates.

10. Pledge Fulfillment Rate

What it is:

The percentage of pledged donation amounts that are actually received either on time, in part, or in full.

Why it matters:

Big gifts often come in the form of pledges, but not all pledges turn into real dollars. This metric gives you insight into payment reliability, and helps Development and Finance teams forecast revenue more accurately.

How to track it in HubSpot:

• Track pledges using deals, or create a custom object like “Pledge” with amount, expected date(s), and fulfillment status.
• Use workflows to send reminders ahead of due dates or flag overdue pledges for follow-up.
• Build reports that show fulfillment by campaign, fund, or gift officer. Include both dollar amount and percentage.
• Pro tip: Set alerts for partial payments or changed payment behavior; early visibility helps prevent surprises.