Why don't my NationBuilder new signups match the people who filled in my form?
The NationBuilder help pages give 4 common reasons. The first to rule out: When someone already in your nation fills in a signup page, their existing profile is updated, so the form can be filled in without adding a new signup.
Is it broken, or just quiet?
A number can fall because fewer people came, or because something stopped counting them. Below are the causes the NationBuilder help pages give, and how to check each one yourself.
What causes it?
When someone already in your nation fills in a signup page, their existing profile is updated, so the form can be filled in without adding a new signup.
In the NationBuilder help:
Any new information the supporter provides through the signup page will be appended to her existing profile.
Create a signup page, read 2026-11-12.Returning supporters are asked to update their details rather than join again, which is another reason form fills and new signups can differ.
In the NationBuilder help:
If the person has previously interacted with your site they will be prompted to “Update info.”
Create a signup page, read 2026-11-12.Two people who share one email address cannot each get their own profile, so a shared email can make signups read lower than the people who signed up.
In the NationBuilder help:
Within a nation, that email address can only be connected to a single profile.
Unique identifier, read 2026-11-12.The same person can end up with two profiles, for example when they use a different email address, which can make new signups read higher.
In the NationBuilder help:
Sometimes duplicate profiles are created for the same person or organization.
Merge duplicate profiles, read 2026-11-12.
How do I check it myself?
Tag everyone who uses a signup page. The tag marks every person who filled it in, new or already known, so you can compare it with your new signups.
In the NationBuilder help:
You can tag all signups by entering tags separated by commas in this textbox.
Create a signup page, read 2026-11-12.Review the profiles NationBuilder suggests as possible duplicates to see whether one person was counted twice.
In the NationBuilder help:
NationBuilder will suggest profiles that may be duplicates once a day.
Merge duplicate profiles, read 2026-11-12.
How would I know the day it starts?
- Feder reads the new signups in NationBuilder each day and compares each day with your own history.
- It tells you when new signups go quiet or move outside their usual range.
Some numbers are too quiet to judge daily, such as a form filled in a few times a week. Until there is enough of your own history to judge a change, Feder says it is still learning and scores nothing, rather than guessing.
See what Feder reads from NationBuilder, which feeds Wins. Feder only reads. It never changes anything in NationBuilder.
What else goes wrong with these numbers?
- Why did my new signups drop in NationBuilder?NationBuilder
- Why did my new signups suddenly jump in NationBuilder?NationBuilder
- Why did Google Analytics stop collecting data?Google Analytics
- Why aren't my key events showing in Google Analytics?Google Analytics
- Why does Google Analytics show (not set)?Google Analytics
See every question.
Where do these answers come from?
Every cause and check on this page comes from the NationBuilder help pages, quoted above with the date we read them. Last reviewed 2026-11-12. We read them again by 2027-11-12. If one changes, this page changes or comes down.