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ECHO staff reports 1,585 responses to strategic-plan survey; proposes grant‑cycle shift and new application portal
Summary
ECHO staff said the county received 1,585 responses to a strategic‑plan survey and described a three‑tier stakeholder process. Staff proposed moving the grant application window earlier and launching a Salesforce portal to modernize the program.
Daniel Marsh, ECHO manager for Volusia County, told advisory board members that the consultant‑administered strategic‑plan survey closed with 1,585 respondents and that staff intends to use that data alongside interviews and a design sprint to produce a final strategic plan by August.
"The survey is complete. It was finished as of March 28. We got 1,585 respondents to the survey," Marsh said, and he described a three‑tier engagement approach that uses the broad survey (tier 3), targeted interviews and surveys (tier 2) and a design sprint (tier 1) to gather both quantitative and qualitative input. Marsh said about 96% of respondents are Volusia County residents and that responses skewed toward older age groups and longer‑term residents.
Staff said the consultant will deliver a draft report to the county for review and that the final report and implementation guide are expected by August. Marsh also said staff agreed to expand stakeholder outreach, which extended the timeline and required an agreed contract extension with the consultant.
To address past grantee concerns and modernize intake, staff proposed changing the grant cycle timeline and launching a new online application portal built in Salesforce. The proposal moves mandatory workshops to December, sets a technical application deadline in January, and places final applications and the grant‑review tour in March with council action in April or May. Marsh said the change maintains the program’s roughly six‑month cycle while avoiding the December holiday period.
Marsh and staff said they will pilot test the new portal with experienced local grant writers before public launch to identify usability issues. Board members asked whether the 1,585 responses provided statistically valid county‑wide sampling; staff said the consultant recommended a response level in the range of 1,500 for validity and that the team sought broader stakeholder input to strengthen findings.
Staff asked the board to approve continued development of the strategic plan, the portal test plan and the proposed 2026 grant‑cycle calendar so the changes can be in place for the next funding round.
