The Republican National Committee announced Tuesday it had raised north of $7 million last month, though federal election reports indicate it remains buried in lingering debt from the 2010 election season.

While fundraising figures have not yet been reported to campaign finance regulators, RNC staff said today its renewed efforts to court disaffected major donors was paying dividends — and rapidly reducing the $24 million in debt the party incurred under former Chairman Michael Steele.

According to early figures provided to Fox News, the RNC recorded an impressive $7.014 million haul in March, and cash on hand accounting registers at $3.2 million. The committee remains $19.76 million in debt; a reduction of $4 million in three month’s time.

RNC chief Reince Preibus made reestablishing relationships with major donors a marque effort of his early administration. Early evidence suggests the move is working.Of the first fundraising quarter total, the RNC collected $3.419 million from contributors who donated more than $15,000 each to party coffers. That $3 million mark, RNC officials note, is nearly half a million greater than the combined major donor funds raised in the first quarters of 2009 and 2010.

The new figures comes amid news that Preibus has tapped Angela Meyers to serve as his finance director. Meyers, lured from the well-healed Republican Governors Association, will work with former Michigan GOP party chief Ron Weiser, whose ascension to national finance chairman was announced early last week.

The Democratic National Committee has not yet released fundraising figures for March, but it reported a nearly identical haul for it’s February efforts.