Obama thanks Illinois fundraisers

President-elect Barack Obama thanked his Illinois finance committee on Thursday night for helping him win the election, telling them it was not the end of their work but the beginning.

Obama made the remarks at a private club in Chicago, where roughly 100 fundraisers had joined him and his wife, Michelle.

He called the event "a gathering of friends," which is why he wanted to hold it, he said.

"You know in politics, often times you say folks are friends when what you really mean is they supported you, and sometimes only after it became apparent you were winning," Obama said to laughter. "In this case, it's absolutely true."

Obama said he had classmates in the room. He had played basketball, worked on education issues and "rabble-roused" with other attendees.

"I'm almost speechless here, which I don't usually get, because this is really a tapestry of our lives," he said of the donors, who were early supporters in his race for the White House.

Obama said told the crowd there was still work to be done, such as helping people find jobs and improving the nation's global standing.

"This is not goodbye; this is the start," he said.