TORONTO — Standing atop Mount Everest with frozen tears in his eyes, taking in the breathtaking views of snowcapped peaks, Rob Follows found it all a little "anticlimactic" - no pun intended.

Such is the tale of the ambitious philanthropist, who, not satisfied with climbing six other mountains or simply donating money to a charity, is always striving to do more.

To celebrate his wedding to wife Katrina, which took place atop Mount Vinson in Antarctica, Follows is holding a large party Sunday in suburban Richmond Hill, Ont., that is intended to raise money and awareness for Altruvest, his charity with a twist.

"Fourteen or so years ago I made a donation to a charity and it didn't quite make it to the cause," Follows said.

"When I learned that, I thought 'Wow, I could be disenchanted and walk away from donating to charities, or I could help solve the problem.' I realized the problem was charities often don't have the resources to get the job done."

So he created Altruvest Charitable Services, a charity that helps other charities ensure the maximum amount of money they receive can go to their cause.

It began as a free consulting service for charities but when Follows found the consultants were becoming overworked, Altruvest settled into a new home on the Internet, where charities can access free information about the tools they need to efficiently function.

Follows, 45, is retired after 25 years as a CEO in marketing. He and Katrina split their time between homes in London, England, Mexico City and King City, Ont., and he splits his work time between Altruvest and an entrepreneurship consulting business.

Follows, who earned a PhD in strategic philanthropy from Oxford University, teaches his philosophy to entrepreneurs who want to feel more fulfilled: "Nobody lies on their deathbed wishing they'd spent more time working."

True to that spirit, Follows and then-girlfriend Katrina, now 32, got engaged on the summit of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, married on Mount Vinson and honeymooned on Mount McKinley in Alaska.

The couple are using their Everest climb as a catalyst for fundraising for Altruvest, and Follows hopes people see the connection.

"People understand Everest and what a huge undertaking it is to climb Everest, and the message Altruvest is hopefully conveying to people is that small-to medium-size charities have mountains that are even bigger than Everest to climb, and we need to think about giving them tools so they can climb their own mountains," he said.

Standing on the summit of Everest was unbelievable, said Follows. Both he and Katrina were "overwhelmed with emotion."

They reached the peak at 6 a.m. and watched the sunrise. Earlier, at night while climbing, Follows said it felt like he was climbing into the sky, which was surreal.

"The Milky Way doesn't look like it does here, where you've got this band of light," he said.

"You can see every star in it because you're so much closer to it. It's absolutely stunning."

Yet, he said, "I was overwhelmed by how anticlimactic it was in one way," because nearly three years of training and one failed climb had led up to that point.

Follows' new goal is to create a $1-million long-term endowment fund for Altruvest so it can continue helping charities improve their performance for years to come - and that's where the party comes in.

Although they were married back in December 2004, the Follows knew they didn't want to celebrate their union until they had scaled the seven great peaks, including Mount McKinley, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and lastly, Everest.

They scaled Everest on May 24, so for the Sunday celebration, which includes a polo match because the couple met at a polo game in England, they have asked guests to donate to Altruvest in lieu of wedding gifts.

"Charities need more than just a cheque," Follows said.