Mater Foundation

Key Outcomes

• Clarity and confidence to take the right next step on how to address a technology problem that was rapidly becoming unsupported.
• Greater organisational alignment improved collaboration between marketing, data, and IT teams.
• A Future-focused approach to operations which will create a scalable and flexible foundation for long-term growth.
• Optimised technology stack recommendations reduced system complexity and improved efficiency.
• A detailed roadmap report that showcased which technology, processes and decisions were required to meet business objectives and an optimised supporter experience.

Overview

LuminateCX partnered with Mater Foundation to assess and optimise their marketing technology, supporter engagement, and data management processes. Despite having a comprehensive digital ecosystem designed to enhance personalisation, automation, and donor experience, the Mater Foundation faced significant operational inefficiencies. The marketing automation platform was slow, complex, and lacked scalability, while the customer data platform struggled with poor data quality, duplicate records, and slow batch processing, leading to delays in supporter engagement.

Through the LuminateCX Ignite process, it became clear that Mater Foundation’s marketing and data infrastructure was fragmented, with disconnected systems limiting real-time data access and campaign agility. Challenges included segmentation delays, inconsistent supporter insights, and inadequate consent and privacy management, increasing compliance risks. While previous investments made sense at the time, evolving supporter expectations and data governance requirements meant that Mater needed a more agile, cost-effective, and scalable solution.

Additionally, the Ignite Program evaluated alternative vendors, modernised the data model, and established a streamlined, real-time-enabled architecture. This helped Mater Foundation simplify its technology stack, improve automation, and unify supporter data, ensuring a more efficient, scalable, and future-ready approach to donor engagement and fundraising.

The Challenge

For Mater Foundation, challenges in marketing automation, data unification, and real-time engagement were limiting their ability to optimise supporter interactions. System inefficiencies created delays in campaign execution, while technical instability led to data silos and inconsistencies. These issues resulted in missed opportunities for deeper supporter engagement and personalisation.

The major challenges that were agreed upon were:

• Marketing automation tools were underutilised, limiting personalisation.
• Supporter data was siloed across multiple systems, reducing segmentation accuracy.
• Frequent system issues and platform changes caused operational disruptions.
• Delays in accessing supporter data impacted timely communications.
• Complex and inconsistent segmentation made targeting difficult.
• Challenges in managing consent and ensuring compliance with privacy regulations.
• Disconnected systems required manual processes, slowing campaign execution.
• Difficulty in quickly building and launching marketing campaigns.
• The technology stack was perceived as overly complex and difficult to scale efficiently.

The Solution

LuminateCX recommended a strategic and balanced approach to streamlining technology, improving automation, and enhancing supporter engagement while ensuring cost-effectiveness and scalability. The solution focused on simplifying the technology stack, unifying supporter data, and optimising marketing execution to address inefficiencies and improve overall campaign performance.

The Recommendation

It was established that a full migration was unnecessary, as key issues could be solved with improved integration, segmentation, and automation rather than replacing core systems.

The recommendation was as follows:

• Replace the existing marketing automation platform with a modern, real-time-capable solution that improves segmentation and campaign execution.
• Implement a more flexible customer data management approach that eliminates batch processing delays and enhances personalisation.
• Enhance integration across platforms, ensuring seamless supporter journeys and reducing manual work.
• Introduce improved consent and privacy tracking, aligning with compliance standards and supporter expectations.
• Upgrade analytics and reporting tools, allowing real-time tracking of donor engagement and campaign performance.
• Streamline campaign workflows, improving execution speed, automation, and supporter targeting.

Results

This strategic roadmap for Mater Foundation will support improved efficiency, engagement, and technology sustainability. Marketing automation enhancements reduced manual effort, enabling faster, more personalised donor interactions. Data unification improved segmentation accuracy, while real-time data access boosted engagement in fundraising initiatives. Streamlined workflows increased agility, and enhanced compliance measures ensured data privacy. Advanced analytics provided deeper supporter insights, enabling more informed decision-making and a scalable foundation for future growth.

"

As far as consultants go, they are genuinely some of the best I’ve worked with. They actually know what they’re doing, they are able to beautifully convert technical language in to something digestible for the business and are all round fun guys to work with. Our MarTech stack would not be where it is today without these guys!

- Camilla Marshall, Director of Marketing, Mater Foundation. 

Conclusion

The engagement with Mater Foundation highlights the value of LuminateCX’s independent, structured approach to marketing and technology transformation.

By focusing on both immediate tactical enhancements and long-term strategic improvements, LuminateCX delivered a solution that balances operational efficiency with supporter engagement. Through expertise in auditing, process optimisation, and data-driven decision-making, LuminateCX provided Mater Foundation with a roadmap that ensures sustainable growth, greater agility, and an optimised supporter experience.