Historic Manassas Inc. lays out 3-year strategic plan, seeks to diversify revenue beyond city support

Historic Manassas Inc. (HMI), the nonprofit that manages the city’s visitor center and downtown promotion, told the City Council that it expects to finalize a three-year strategic plan in August and is proposing operational and funding changes to reduce reliance on city support while expanding visitor engagement.

HMI’s presenter said the plan frames work around three focal areas — visibility/messaging, community building and community engagement — and will guide HMI through 2028. The presenter said HMI plans to diversify revenue, expand marketing and events, and grow volunteer and membership engagement.

The plan follows recent growth HMI reported: the presenter said HMI’s promotional activity brought nearly 20,000 more visitors to town in one year, and that First Fridays attendance rose from about 19,000 two years ago to roughly 50,500 this year. HMI also reported volunteer engagement rising from about 1,700 to about 2,000 annual volunteer contacts and said public/private funding from the city fell from roughly 52% in fiscal year 2023 to about 47% before an additional city payment for fiscal 2025. The presenter said the extra $100,000 that city council approved for fiscal 2025 “hit the bank today.”

Why it matters: HMI runs the visitor…