Troubleshooting Google Analytics 4

Recommended integration approach

To ensure Fundraise Up events are tracked reliably in Google Analytics 4, the integration method matters.

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is the recommended way to use GA4 with Fundraise Up.

GTM allows events from the Fundraise Up Checkout to be received, inspected, and adjusted without modifying your site’s code, which makes troubleshooting significantly easier.

Using GA4 Realtime reports

Realtime reports are often the first place teams check when validating a new integration or configuration change.

While useful for quick checks, GA4 Realtime reports are not always immediate or complete. Events may appear with a short delay, show inconsistently, or not appear at all due to consent settings or browser extensions. For this reason, Realtime reports should be treated as an initial signal rather than a definitive confirmation.

How do I test to see if my events are reaching Google Analytics?

GA4's Realtime Report will show events as they happen in real time, so the best way to test the integration would be to go to your website, launch a Fundraise Up checkout, make a test donation, and then close the checkout. In GA4, look for events such as checkoutOpen and purchase (for completed donations). Depending on your GTM template configuration, donation completion may also appear as donationComplete in Realtime.

Testing Fundraise Up events with Google Tag Assistant

When events do not appear in GA4, it is important to confirm whether they are firing at all.

Google Tag Assistant is the most reliable tool for this step. It allows you to see events as they are pushed to the data layer and verify that GA4 tags fire correctly before GA4 processes the data.

Steps

1. Install the Google Tag Assistant browser extension.
2. Open your website and start a troubleshooting session.
3. Connect Tag Assistant to your domain.
4. Open a Fundraise Up checkout.
5. Perform checkout actions such as opening, closing, or completing a test donation.
6. In Tag Assistant or GTM Preview, verify that the Fundraise Up events checkoutOpen, checkoutClose, and donationComplete appear and trigger the corresponding GA4 tags. Completed donations should be sent to GA4 as the standard purchase event.

If events appear in Tag Assistant but not in GA4 reports, the issue is usually related to reporting delays or GA4 configuration rather than Fundraise Up.

Verifying events in GA4 reports

Once events are confirmed to be firing, GA4 reports can be used to review overall activity.

To view aggregated data:

1. Open Google Analytics.
2. Go to Reports → Life cycle → Engagement → Events.
3. Search for events such as purchase, checkoutOpen, checkoutClose, or donationComplete, depending on how your GA4 tags are configured.
4. Select an event to review totals and trends.

This report provides a more stable view of event volume than Realtime and is better suited for validation over time.

I don’t see Fundraise Up events in Google Analytics

If events are missing, the cause is usually configuration-related rather than a delivery issue.

Common causes include unpublished GTM container changes, triggers listening for incorrect event names, GA4 event tags not connected to Fundraise Up triggers, consent restrictions, or browser extensions blocking analytics. Using GTM Preview mode together with Google Tag Assistant typically reveals the issue quickly.

Why Google Analytics data does not match Fundraise Up

It is expected that GA4 data will differ from Fundraise Up records.

Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager can be blocked by supporters’ ad blockers or privacy tools. As a result, approximately 25–40% of events may not reach GA4, even though donations are processed successfully in Fundraise Up.

Additional differences may occur due to consent requirements and GA4’s aggregation and processing logic. For this reason, GA4 should be used for trend analysis and behavioral insights rather than exact donation totals.