Tolle Lege Day shows a unique trend of non-profit organizations turning away from more nationally known days of giving.

Article by Maddie Tyler, AKSM News

VILLANOVA, PA - The Augustinians have announced a new initiative called, “Tolle Lege Day”. The initiative will be a 24 hour day of giving that was planned to start at midnight on April 24th and run till midnight on April 25th. April 24th is a special day for the Augustinians as it is the date of the conversion of Saint Augustine. The words “Tolle Lege” mean “take up and read” and referred to as the words that moved St. Augustine to pick up the Scriptures - in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans - and find his way to faith and ultimately to his Conversion.

Hosted by the Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova, they were looking to reach 424 (for April 24th) donors during the 24-hour period. Donation amounts can range anywhere from a few dollars to larger gifts upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Augustinians are also in the process of recruiting members of the Augustinian and Villanova communities to be “Tolle Lege Day Ambassadors”. These volunteers will help raise awareness of the day through social media and direct solicitations on the day of giving. The Augustinians have already recruited many ambassadors including NBC News anchor Keith Jones who graduated from Villanova University in 2007 and hosts the University’s annual day of giving - 1842 Day - Facebook Live stream.

Days of giving now include special incentives for donors once they reach a special goal. Notre Dame gives out tee-shirts and battery packs to donors who donate a certain amount. The Augustinians are even offering an option to submit a prayer request for those who cannot give to the fund. The focus is more on participation and the overall community than the number of dollars raised during the day.

However, with a world-wide pandemic effecting non-profits, a new layer is added to the idea of what a giving day becomes. The Augustinians have decided to remove the giving part of their giving day and make the day a day “United in Prayer”. Individuals will be able to submit prayer requests that will be remembered during a live-streamed Mass on April 24th. The Augustinians’ have decided to re-brand their giving day, calling it “Tolle Lege Day: Postponed and Re-Imagined”.

The Rev. Michael Di Gregorio, OSA - who serves as Prior Provincial of the Augustinians - stated that, “Tolle Lege Day will be a day to celebrate [the] charism of Augustinian life. […] Tolle Lege is an invitation to recognize how important it is to be of one mind and one heart. […] We depend on […] the union of many different people to make our lives possible.”

The original idea of having a Augustinian specific day of giving is postponed for later in 2020 while the Augustinian Order asks their supports to “[…] join together spiritually by prayer for one another, for our country and for people around the world who are experiencing the effects of this difficult trial, most particularly the sick and those who have died.”

Like Villanova’s 1842 Day, Tolle Lege Day shows a unique trend of non-profit organizations turning away from more nationally known days of giving such as Giving Tuesday and National Nonprofit Day as they seek to create a more special environment for their donors.

More information on Tolle Lege Day can be found by clicking here.