Jason Amore
Photo Courtesy of: St. Bonaventure University
BY: JULIA BABCOCK, STAFF WRITER
On Feb. 12, 2024, St. Bonaventure University will welcome Jason Amore as the new Vice President for Advancement. Amore worked in university advancement for over 23 years, during which he has cultivated and closed more than $245,000,000 in philanthropic giving.
Originally from Friendship, New York, Amore said he has always loved Bonaventure. From his father graduating from Bonaventure to frequently watching basketball games, Amore claims that Bonaventure is the most amazing place he has ever been.
“I always really wanted to be at Bonaventure, it was always one of my dream jobs,” said Amore.
Amore joins the Bonaventure family in the advancement department. As the new Vice President for Advancement, he will be reporting directly to President Dr. Jeff Gingerich.
Amore’s position includes building a financial resource pool for the university as well as attracting and retaining donors
“Advancement lives to build an endowment,” said Amore. “We are going to build our endowment. We are going to build our resources for our facility and staff all under the thought process of making sure our students get the very best education they can.”
Amore wants to help the students and above all believes that they should always come first.
“Everything we do is about our students,” said Amore, “Oftentimes universities get caught up in other things, that’s not St. Bonaventure.”
Amore has not officially started the position yet but already has plans for the coming years.
“I want to break records every single year,” said Amore.
Amore enters the community with the Bolder Bonaventure campaign already underway, but his experience and expertise will help the school reach its ultimate goals, said Gingerich
“Jason is well aware he’s coming into the campaign with just over 16 months left, but I share his confidence that he can help us get to the finish line successfully,” said Gingerich. “I don’t think it will take him long to get his talented team in the Advancement Office to share his vision of what it will take to get there.”
Amore is planning to spend time creating a competitive environment in the advancement department itself. One new idea Amore plans to implement is a Teammate of the Year Award for an advancement officer.
“I want to build a culture where people care about their teammates’ success more than their own,” said Amore. “I want to know what my team members’ career goals are.”
Amore was first approached about the position in October. He then went through the application process interviewing with a search committee made up of members of the university community. Gingerich asked trustee Laurie Krupa to chair the committee at the end of last summer.
“Collaboratively the president and I created a diverse search committee with membership across all key constituents of the university, and then my role was to lead that committee to make recommendations to the president on the right person in partnership and guidance from our consultant,” said Krupa.
The search committee narrowed down the candidates, based on Gingerich’s input and plans for the position, said Krupa
“The consulting group sourced a large number of candidates and boiled it down to seven who rose to the top,” said Krupa. “The committee interviewed those individuals in mid-November. Out of those interviews, the committee narrowed it down to four finalists to ultimately recommend to Dr. Gingerich. Each of those candidates came to campus for an in-person interview with a broad base of university members.”
Krupa said that Amore stood out from the beginning based on his resume, experience and strategic mindset. The committee felt he was a great fit for the position.
“He totally gets Bonas,” said Krupa. “His insight, knowledge and experience showed through with every interaction.”
Gingerich made the final decision and thought Amore would be a great fit.
“Jason brings great energy and passion to our community as well as a wealth of broad experience and success in fundraising wherever he’s worked,” said Gingerich. “The fact that his dad was a graduate and he grew up in the region with a great affinity for Bonaventure can only be an asset as he begins to engage with our donors and friends.”
babcocjl23@bonaventure.edu
