Bridging the Gap Between App Users and Donors: Why Cross-Platform Tracking Matters (and How to Do It Right)

Introduction

One of the biggest challenges for Islamic and charity-based mobile apps is tracking the full journey of users—from interacting within the app to making a donation on the website. Without clear visibility into this journey, it becomes difficult to measure ROI, optimise fundraising campaigns, or understand which platforms are truly driving donations.

This is especially true when using third-party donation tools like Donorbox, which often sit outside your core analytics ecosystem. The result? Valuable donor data gets lost in transition. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

🧩 The Problem: Disconnected User Journeys

Imagine this:
A user loves your Islamic mobile app. During Ramadan, they click a donation button that opens your website (with Donorbox embedded) and makes a donation.

You see a spike in website donations that day—but you have no idea who donated from the app, which campaign influenced them, or what part of the app triggered the donation.

That’s a missed opportunity for insight, learning, and future growth.

🔑 The Solution: Unique User IDs + Google Analytics + Donorbox

By using a Unique User ID strategy, you can link app activity to website donations—giving you a full, end-to-end picture of each donor’s journey.

Here’s the high-level breakdown:

1. Generate a Unique User ID in the App

Create a persistent user_id (like a UUID) for each app user and store it securely in the app’s local storage.

2. Pass the User ID to the Website

When the user clicks the donate link, pass that ID in the URL:

https://yourwebsite.com/donate?uid=UNIQUE_USER_ID&utm_source=app&utm_medium=mobile&utm_campaign=ramadan_campaign

3. Store the ID on the Website

Use JavaScript to extract the uid from the URL and store it in browser local storage or cookies.

4. Embed the User ID into the Donorbox Form

Donorbox allows custom fields. Add a hidden input like this:

<input type="hidden" name="custom_user_id" id="custom_user_id" />
<script>
  document.getElementById('custom_user_id').value = localStorage.getItem('user_id');
</script>

5. Track with Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Set the same user_id in GA4 so you can track the user across platforms:

gtag('config', 'GA_MEASUREMENT_ID', {
  'user_id': localStorage.getItem('user_id')
});

6. Track Donations as Events

Use either:

Thank You Page Redirect + GA4 page path event
JavaScript event trigger or Donorbox Webhook to trigger donation_success manually.

Example:

gtag('event', 'donation_success', {
  value: 50,
  currency: 'USD',
  uid: 'UNIQUE_USER_ID'
});

🚀 Why This Matters

Better attribution: Know which app features or campaigns actually lead to donations.
Improved UX: Track drop-offs in the donation funnel.
Smarter fundraising: Understand donor behaviour across devices.

✅ Action Steps for Your Team

Implement user_id tracking inside your app.
Update donation links to include uid and UTM parameters.
Embed hidden fields in Donorbox to capture the user ID.
Set up donation conversion tracking in GA4.
Use GA4 reports to monitor cross-platform performance.

🧭 Final Thoughts

This approach might require coordination between your dev, marketing, and analytics teams—but the long-term payoff is huge. With accurate tracking, you’ll better understand what moves your donors, which campaigns work, and how to optimise your platforms for maximum spiritual and financial impact.

Let’s make every donation traceable—and every insight count.
BarakAllahu feekum.