Overview
The Transactions dashboard provides comprehensive insights into your fundraising and revenue activities on a transaction-by-transaction basis. This powerful tool helps you monitor donation patterns, identify your strongest revenue streams, and track financial performance over time. While the Contributors dashboard focuses on donor behavior and demographics, the Transactions dashboard emphasizes financial data and transaction patterns.
Understanding dashboard filters
At the top of the Transactions dashboard, you'll find a set of filters that allow you to segment your data for more targeted analysis:
Year: Select which year's data you want to analyze
Nation: Filter transactions by the nation they were processed through
Transaction Size: Focus on transactions within specific amount ranges
Tracking Code: View data for specific fundraising campaigns or initiatives
Frequency: Filter by one-time, recurring monthly, or recurring annually
Type: Analyze by transaction type (donations, memberships, tickets)
These filters can be used in combination to drill down into specific segments of your financial data.
Key metrics summary
The dashboard displays four key metrics at the top of the screen, providing a quick overview of your financial performance:
Total Transactions: The number of financial transactions processed
Total Revenue: The total amount of money raised
Total Contributors: The number of unique individuals who made financial contributions
Average Transaction: The average amount per transaction
Each metric includes a year-over-year comparison showing the percentage change and absolute difference versus the previous year's performance to date (PYTD).
📌 Note: Red downward arrows indicate a decrease compared to the previous year, while green upward arrows indicate growth.
Monthly tab
The Monthly tab provides time-based analysis of your fundraising performance with two side-by-side visualizations:
Revenue by month
Bar chart displaying your monthly revenue totals
Current year (darker blue) and previous year (lighter blue) shown for comparison
Y-axis shows revenue amounts, X-axis shows months of the year
Transactions by month
Bar chart showing the number of transactions each month
Current year (darker blue) and previous year (lighter blue) shown for comparison
Y-axis shows transaction count, X-axis shows months of the year
This view helps you identify seasonal patterns, track year-over-year growth, and spot months that typically perform best or worst for your fundraising efforts.
Type tab
The Type tab breaks down your revenue by transaction frequency and size with three key visualizations:
Revenue sources summary
Shows revenue totals from different transaction types:
From Memberships: Total revenue from membership fees
From Donations: Total revenue from donations
From Events: Total revenue from event tickets
Each category displays:
Total amount for the current year
Year-over-year comparison with previous year (percentage and absolute difference)
Revenue by transaction frequency
Horizontal bar chart comparing one-time vs. recurring monthly revenue
Current year (darker blue) and previous year (lighter blue) shown for comparison
Y-axis shows transaction frequencies, X-axis shows revenue amounts
Revenue by transaction size
Horizontal bar chart breaking down revenue by donation amount ranges
Shows distribution across different transaction size brackets (e.g., $0-$24, $25-$50, etc.)
Current year (darker blue) and previous year (lighter blue) shown for comparison
Y-axis shows transaction size ranges, X-axis shows revenue amounts
This view helps you understand which transaction sources, sizes, and frequencies are driving your fundraising success.
Source tab
The Source tab provides insight into where your donations are coming from with two visualizations:
Revenue by nation
Horizontal bar chart showing revenue totals for each nation in your NationBuilder account
Current year (darker blue) and previous year (lighter blue) shown for comparison
Y-axis shows nation names, X-axis shows revenue amounts
Revenue by tracking code
Horizontal bar chart breaking down revenue by the tracking codes you've assigned
Shows which fundraising campaigns or initiatives are generating the most revenue
Current year (darker blue) and previous year (lighter blue) shown for comparison
Y-axis shows tracking code names, X-axis shows revenue amounts
This view helps you identify your most effective fundraising sources and campaigns.
Common use cases
Here are some ways to use the Transactions dashboard to improve your fundraising strategy:
Year-over-year analysis: Compare current performance against previous years to track growth or identify areas needing attention.
Campaign effectiveness: Use tracking codes to evaluate which fundraising campaigns generate the most revenue.
Donor segmentation: Analyze transaction sizes to understand your donor base and tailor your appeals accordingly.
Seasonal planning: Identify months with historically strong or weak performance to better time your fundraising campaigns.
Revenue diversification: Monitor the balance between one-time and recurring revenue to build a more sustainable funding model.