For Valerie Lefler, founder of the nonprofit Feonix - Mobility Rising, her organization’s programs have been growing and seeing a true community impact, but there was one issue: the organization’s name was not connecting.

With their powerful mission to solve transportation insecurity, her team builds vital mobility networks for those in need, ranging from micro-transit shuttle services in rural towns to pioneering the use of mobility-as-a-service and mobility wallet technology for veterans and community-based organizations.

Yet, the corporate-sounding name always required explanation, as many people confused the name with the city in Arizona, while others assumed the group worked with scooters or mobility devices.

"We’d spend the first 10 minutes of every conversation explaining who we weren’t,"Lefler said. "We needed a cohesive message that is clear, relatable, and makes sense."

Moving with Heart

Recognizing the need, Ford Philanthropy connected Feonix with a team of experts: Ford brand strategists Suzanne Beane and John Gass and visual designer Chris Tobias.

Over a series of workshops, these Ford Volunteer Corps volunteers lent their expertise to help the Feonix team.

The collaboration led to a breakthrough: a new brand architecture. "Feonix" would remain the parent organization for corporate and industry partnerships.

But for the public, riders, and local communities, the hero brand would become "Catch-a-Ride Network" — a simple, memorable, and easily shareable name derived from their mobility-as-a-service program.

With the strategy set, the volunteers then developed a new visual identity called "Moving with Heart."

The design features a vibrant heart with motion lines, perfectly capturing the organization's ethos of passion-driven work enabled by technology.

"I absolutely adore the heart with the lines in motion," Lefler said. "We really lead with the passion and the mission for what we do and why we do it, and having that be the first visible element of who we are speaks volumes."

From Confusion to Clarity

The new direction's impact was immediate. Just days after seeing the concepts, Lefler attended an industry conference and began to informally test the names with partners and new connections.

When she led with "Feonix," she spent valuable time clarifying they weren't based in Arizona. When she started with "Catch-a-Ride Network," the conversation "flowed naturally into our mission, who we work with, and why."

For Lefler, the feeling it evoked was profound. "It's like you sigh and say ‘I'm home. Catch-a-Ride. I can relax now. They're going to help me.’"

A Shared Win

On the Ford side of things, this partnership is a testament to the power of skills-based volunteering.

By lending their unique talents, the Ford Global Brand team provided Feonix not just with a new name and logo, but with the strategic clarity to unlock its next level of growth.

It’s a story of putting heart into motion, helping a vital community partner connect with more people than ever before.

“The Ford Brand Strategy team was so honored to have played a part in helping the Feonix team prepare for this launch,” said John Gass. “What a great experience to work with people just as passionate and committed to their customers as we are at Ford!”

Visit catcharide.org to learn more. 

Alex Buznego is the Senior Manager of Mobility Programs at Ford Philanthropy.