Commitment is the word on the lips of charity supporters today as a privately-backed campaign to get people giving more to charity soft-launches in London.

The Give More campaign has drawn top brass from the charity sector to London at its ‘preview launch’ today. The effort, which is the brainchild of Pears Foundation founder philanthropist Trevor Pears, was first mooted in December last year and asks that people commit to giving more “money, energy and time” to charities over the next 12 months.

The preview launch is designed to bring individuals, businesses and charities on board in time for the official national launch in April. As of today, 220 individuals have made the pledge to ‘give more’ on the campaign’s beta site. Companies including BT and Savills have already signed up as corporate partners and the campaign counts NCVO, NSPCC and Jewish Care among its civil society supporters.

In particular, Give More suggests organisational supporters get their board members to pledge to increase their giving on the campaign’s website, and that they encourage their employees do to the same.

Today’s event in London precedes a similar soft-launch in Edinburgh on 16 February. Following the national launch in April, it is expected that there will be a national tour of Give More which will involve local events at regional centres.

The quick turnaround between campaign announcement and soft-launch is in start contrast to the Cabinet Office’s suggestion in its Giving White Paper early last year that it host a ‘Giving Summit’ in autumn 2011. The office is yet to confirm when this summit is due to be held.