Salary: $210,000.00 - $225,000.00 Annually
Location : St. Bonaventure, NY
Job Type: Full Time
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: 202200555
Division: University Advancement
Department: University Advancement
Opening Date: 02/10/2026
Description
IMPORTANT APPLICATION PROCESS INFORMATION:
Nominations and applications are now being accepted for this position. Please do not apply to the position through this job posting.
Interested and qualified candidates are welcome to submit a resume and cover letter to: or submit materials via the following link: VP Advancement Korn Ferry Posting
The Opportunity
St. Bonaventure University is currently in a significant era of institutional momentum, calling for a bold and visionary Vice President of Advancement to elevate the university's philanthropic impact and strengthen its culture of engagement. University leadership seeks an innovative strategist who can reimagine and modernize the advancement enterprise-integrating fundraising, alumni relations, and constituent engagement into a cohesive, mission-driven framework that amplifies the university's Franciscan values and long-term aspirations.
The Vice President of Advancement will lead the charge in building a unified, data-informed advancement infrastructure that deepens donor relationships, expands philanthropic capacity, and forges powerful partnerships across alumni, parents, friends, and community stakeholders. This leader will have the opportunity to align decentralized efforts, enhance collaboration across the university, optimize resources, and elevate the university's storytelling to inspire generosity and pride. The first year will be foundational-assessing team strengths, investing in team development, refining organizational structure, strengthening operational systems, and delivering early, visible wins that build confidence among internal and external partners.
This leadership transition presents a rare opportunity to appoint a forward-thinking advancement executive who can shape the future of philanthropy at St. Bonaventure. The ideal candidate will leverage data, technology, and cross-sector collaboration to design agile, donor-centered strategies that expand the university's reach and impact. With vision, authenticity, and analytical rigor, they will cultivate a culture of philanthropy that energizes the campus community, strengthening alumni affinity, volunteer leadership, and lifelong engagement alongside philanthropic growth. By forging strong cross-campus alliances, translating insights into action, and championing inclusive engagement, this leader will position advancement as a defining force in St. Bonaventure University's next chapter.
About St. Bonaventure University
Founded in 1858, St. Bonaventure University is a Catholic institution rooted in the Franciscan tradition, known for its strong sense of community, close faculty-student relationships, and belief that education is most powerful when grounded in purpose and care for others. As a residential campus, Bonaventure is deeply relational by design. Students are known, supported, and challenged. Those relationships often last a lifetime.
Franciscan values at St. Bonaventure are lived, not just stated. Compassion, wisdom, and integrity shape how the University teaches, supports students, engages the surrounding community, and makes institutional decisions. This mission is evident in mentoring relationships, service-learning, and student-led initiatives such as the Warming House, a student-run soup kitchen that has served the Olean community since the 1970s and is widely recognized as one of the oldest of its kind in the nation. It is also reflected in BonaResponds, which mobilizes students in response to community and national needs. Students regularly earn recognition for leadership, service, research, athletics, and media work, carrying Franciscan values into their professions and communities.
Academically, St. Bonaventure offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, including combined-degree and early assurance programs, along with 20 graduate programs, many offered fully online. These include doctoral study in Educational Leadership and a master's program in Speech-Language Pathology. Together, these offerings reflect Bonaventure's commitment to pairing a strong liberal arts foundation with programs aligned to student goals and societal needs.
St. Bonaventure is currently experiencing a period of meaningful momentum. The University has surpassed 3,000 students in total enrollment for the first time in its history, successfully completed a comprehensive campaign, adopted a new strategic plan, and invested in academic programs and campus facilities, including the School of Health Professions and the Jandoli School of Communication. These efforts signal institutional confidence and readiness to continue building for the future.
With more than 33,000 alumni worldwide, Bonaventure's graduates remain deeply connected to the University and to one another. Alumni engagement is driven by a powerful sense of belonging, often described simply as the "Bona Family." In this environment, Advancement plays a central role in the University's continued success by strengthening partnerships with alumni, families, and friends to support student opportunity, academic ambition, and long-term sustainability.
President Jeff Gingerich
Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., took office as the 22nd president of St. Bonaventure University on June 20, 2022.
From the outset of his presidency, Dr. Gingerich has been deeply engaged in the life of the campus and the broader Bonaventure alumni community, with a particular focus on strengthening philanthropic relationships. Within his first year, he launched the public phase of the university's comprehensive fundraising campaign in September 2022 and traveled extensively across the country, meeting with alumni and donors at dozens of events and gatherings-often in conjunction with Bonnies basketball-to personally advance the mission and priorities of the university.
Dr. Gingerich views Advancement as a core strategic function of the presidency and works closely with advancement leadership as a collaborative partner in setting priorities, engaging donors, and strengthening the university's long-term financial sustainability.
The university successfully completed its seven-year comprehensive campaign in May 2025, exceeding its $125 million goal by more than $6 million. Under his leadership, St. Bonaventure also surpassed 3,000 students in total enrollment for the first time in its history and launched a new strategic plan. Recognizing the rapid pace of technological change, Dr. Gingerich established a Presidential Commission on Artificial Intelligence in 2025 to help guide the university's academic and ethical approach to emerging technologies.
In September 2025, Dr. Gingerich presented a new university strategic plan, Rooted in Mission, Focused on the Future, to the Board of Trustees, which was unanimously approved. The plan articulates an ambitious strategy for St. Bonaventure's future, with a focus on new opportunities in the School of Health Professions, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, campus infrastructure renewal, and continued progress toward strengthening the university's endowment.
Jeff and his wife, Betsy, have embraced the spirit of community and the university's Franciscan values of compassion, wisdom, and integrity. They regularly open their Olean home to students, friars, alumni leaders, and members of the national Alumni Council, and frequently travel on behalf of the university to engage alumni and donors across the country.
Prior to being named president of St. Bonaventure, Gingerich was provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs for four years each at the University of Scranton and at Cabrini University in suburban Philadelphia, where he taught in the Department of Sociology and Criminology for 13 years. He also served as acting president at Scranton and Cabrini, both Catholic institutions.
Gingerich earned master's and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree in social work from Eastern Mennonite College.
About the Area
St. Bonaventure University is located in the Southern Tier of Western New York, a region known for its natural beauty, strong sense of community, and quality of life that supports both professional focus and personal balance. Nestled between the city of Olean and the village of Allegany, the campus offers the feel of a classic residential college with close ties to a welcoming, livable community. This is a place where people build lives, not just careers.
The area appeals to individuals seeking a place where daily life feels manageable, connected, and grounded. The region offers affordable housing, access to quality schools and healthcare, and a pace of life that allows for deep relationships and meaningful community involvement. Many faculty, staff, and alumni choose to build long-term lives here, drawn by the balance between purposeful work and personal well-being.
Outdoor recreation and four-season living is central to life in the region, with year-round opportunities that include:
• Walking, running, and biking along the Allegheny River Valley Trail, which passes directly through campus
• Kayaking and paddling on the Allegheny River and nearby waterways
• Boating and lake recreation throughout the broader region, including Lake Erie and the Finger Lakes
• Access to Allegany State Park, the largest state park in New York, offering hiking, camping, and four-season outdoor activities
• Proximity to Ellicottville, a vibrant four-season resort community anchored by Holiday Valley, consistently ranked among the top ski resorts in the eastern United States and also known for its golf course, festivals, and family-friendly culture
The surrounding communities offer a strong sense of place, access and opportunity, including:
• A walkable downtown Olean with locally owned restaurants, cafés, shops, and community gathering spaces
• Nearby Jamestown and the Chautauqua-Lake Erie region, home to nationally recognized destinations such as the Chautauqua Institution and the National Comedy Center
• Community events and regional partnerships that contribute to an engaged, welcoming atmosphere
St. Bonaventure's location offers practical connectivity without the congestion of a large metropolitan area. Buffalo is within approximately 90 minutes, and Rochester is about two hours away, both providing access to international airports. Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Niagara Falls, and Toronto are accessible for extended travel, professional connections, and cultural experiences.
A Community That Feels Like Home
What ultimately distinguishes the area is its people. The Bonaventure community is deeply relational, welcoming, and grounded in a shared sense of pride and belonging among faculty, staff, alumni, and neighbors alike. Together, the campus and surrounding region offer a setting that supports meaningful work, strong community connections, and a sustainable quality of life-one where leaders can put down roots, stay engaged, and feel genuinely welcomed into the life of the University and the broader community.
The Opportunity
St. Bonaventure University seeks a Vice President of Advancement at a pivotal moment of momentum and renewal. The University has recently completed its most successful comprehensive campaign to date ($131M), achieved four consecutive years of enrollment and revenue growth, expanded high-demand academic programs-particularly in health professions and online graduate education-and strengthened its distinctive Franciscan identity and alumni engagement.
At the same time, University Advancement requires renewed leadership to bring a strategic vision, greater cohesion, consistency, and confidence to fundraising, communications, and donor engagement. The next Vice President will have the opportunity to optimize talent, professionalize systems, strengthen culture, expand donor pipelines beyond a small group of major supporters, and clearly articulate institutional priorities-including endowment growth, scholarships, athletics facilities, campus infrastructure, and emerging initiatives such as AI.
St. Bonaventure University's sustained enrollment growth over the past decade presents a powerful and underleveraged advancement opportunity. The expansion of high-demand undergraduate, graduate, and online programs-particularly in health professions-has significantly broadened the alumni base, diversified career outcomes, and strengthened the University's value proposition. This momentum creates a timely opening to engage a larger, younger, and more professionally diverse alumni population, deepen philanthropic participation across giving levels, and translate enrollment success into long-term fundraising growth, endowment strength, and institutional sustainability.
Reporting directly to the President, this leader will serve as a visible, trusted partner to the Board, Cabinet, deans, faculty, athletics, and alumni, translating institutional momentum into sustainable philanthropic growth through collaborative, hands-on, and mission-aligned leadership.
Purpose of the Position
The Vice President of Advancement is responsible for strengthening and modernizing St. Bonaventure University's advancement enterprise, providing visionary leadership to build a cohesive, mission-aligned fundraising and engagement operation. This role oversees the development, implementation, and assessment of comprehensive advancement programs that support institutional priorities, working collaboratively with the President's Cabinet, academic leaders, alumni engagement, athletics, marketing and communications, and external partners. By cultivating strong donor and alumni relationships, expanding philanthropic pipelines, and elevating the university's storytelling, the Vice President fosters a culture of philanthropy that advances the university's long-term goals.
A central focus of the position is mobilizing alumni, donors, and community stakeholders through meaningful engagement, volunteerism, and philanthropic initiatives that strengthen the university's impact. The Vice President leads the Office of University Advancement and partners throughout the university to create an innovative, dono...
