MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota’s Give to the Max Day website was back up and running Thursday after heavy traffic crashed the charitable contributions site.

The site crashed around 1 p.m. Thursday, leaving prospective donors unable to make contributions. It remained down until about 6:30 p.m.

More than 30,000 donors had responded to Give to the Max Day before the site crashed, raising more than $9 million by noon.

“We’re working to get it back up as soon as possible,” Dana Nelson, executive director of event sponsor GiveMN, said before repairs were made. “We’re asking people to be patient.”

Augsburg College was among the many anxious nonprofits cranking out emails to supporters by late afternoon.

“We urge you to try again later today if this has foiled your attempts to give,” the college told its potential donors. “You’ll still have until 11:59 p.m. to make your gift count for Give to the Max Day.”

As dinner hour neared, many nonprofits — including Youth Performance Company, the Animal Humane Society and Teenwise Minnesota — notified supporters that they could also donate to them directly on their websites.

Last year the day raked in more than $16 million for 4,400 charities and schools. More than 50,000 Minnesotans donated last year during the daylong giving spree, now in its fifth year.

Nelson, the GiveMN director, hopes even more turned out this year.

“This day has truly become a giving holiday for Minnesota-based nonprofits,” Nelson said. “The money raised will help sustain many organizations throughout the year.”