From her office base in Enniskillen, qualified accountant Olivia Cosgrove has developed a unique software system that will benefit scores of charities across the globe and transform the way members of the public make donations to major charitable organisations and disaster funds.

Olivia spent several years working overseas with Concern Worldwide and the World Bank, an experience which took her to over 14 developing countries including, Rwanda and Kosovo and disaster zones such as the tsunami. After stepping back into the world of commercial business, she realised she could combine her financial acumen with the knowledge she had gained working for Concern to develop a budgeting software system for NGOs. She also had the idea of creating a unique web based tracking system using Google Earth to track individual donations.

"It's a very simple concept which utilises the growing phenomenon of Google Earth" explains Olivia. People can zone in on the areas covered by their chosen charity, choose exactly which project or location their donation should go to, and track the development of that project by viewing it on Google Earth.

"I came up with the idea in 2003, but although I was fully committed to the venture, it was initially a part time project. I continued to work in the commercial field so that I could finance the development of the products."

Charities such as Action Aid, Save the Children and the Salvation Army showed an early interest in Olivia's three key products: the donor tracking mechanism, an international reporting tool and a field accounting system.

"I had already established links with Invest NI when I was told about Transform," says Olivia, "I knew it would be the perfect springboard. The finance package meant I could dedicate more time to developing my products to investor level and fine-tune the donor tracking system. The programme also gave me the chance to meet other entrepreneurs and share ideas, which was invaluable."

Olivia now has several key charities and NGOs piloting her programmes. Soon, people living in underprivileged areas and disaster zones across the world will be benefiting from a unique software system developed by a philanthropic entrepreneur from Enniskillen.