After exceeding fundraising expectations for the third year in a row, Amplify Austin organizers have already started preparing for next year's 24-hour marathon.

I Live Here, I Give Here—the nonprofit in charge of Amplify Austin—on April 7 hosted the first in a series of spring meetings to reflect on last month's success and consider ideas to further grow the event. Amplify Austin on March 5-6 raised $7.7 million for more than 500 area nonprofits, exceeding ILHIGH's $7 million goal.

More than 25,000 people donated to the cause, and nearly half—41 percent—were first-time contributors to Austin's philanthropic sector, according to ILHIGH data. Earl Maxwell, CEO of St. David's Foundation, which this year provided $1 million in matching funds, said those numbers suggest there is room for growth.

"I believe [a] $25 million [single-day fundraising goal] is achievable sooner than most people in this room would think," Maxwell told the small crowd. "Through social media, what we have now is an example of processes that can be developed and used by other nonprofits."

ILHIGH Executive Director Tom Spencer said he agrees $25 million is achievable—just not this year. By comparison, the nation's top giving-day event in the Dallas-Fort Worth region recently raised $28 million.

"I could see us being there in the next three to four years," Spencer said.

The breakfast meeting allowed some of Amplify Austin's business contributors and nonprofit beneficiaries to share some of their own success stories. Many companies match their employee contributions to drum up interest, Spencer said, and multiple nonprofits have ditched other fundraising events to concentrate more on Amplify Austin.

"This is a giving town," he said, "and we're going to prove it."