With mind mapping you can step back and look at your situation from a different perspective. Do a mind map or two with a small group lay to out different aspects of the group’s structure, programs, or challenges. Map a group’s activities and you’ll often hear “Wow, we’re doing a lot!” and “No wonder we’re so tired!” Sometimes it helps just to take stock.

The process often identifies a path with potential benefit for us to explore later. Sometimes an aha! occurs, a new understanding of the structure or program. Sometimes, just by seeing everything at once, an opportunity (for funding, strategic partnership, etc.) or some built-in work problem will jump off the map. The group can then discuss it, beginning a conversation about a better way.

Put your challenge — such as raising funds or getting legislators to support a bill — in the center of the map. Create branches that explore the various aspects that address it. You can begin in a thousand ways but if you’re stuck, ask who, what, when, where, how and why and follow those branches out. Another way to start is to make branches for the obstacles, assets, strategic allies and so on. As you develop maps with both logic and intuition new ideas will emerge.

Embarking on a new endeavor can be thrilling, but without proper planning, it’s easy to overlook important details and potential opportunities. Whether you’re starting a new program, organizing an event such as a conference or fundraising walk, or undertaking a new project, mind mapping can be incredibly helpful, particularly for smaller groups, to brainstorm and think out loud. Mind mapping’s visual nature can stimulate creativity and generate ideas that may not surface through traditional brainstorming methods.

Mind mapping can be used to understand the complex connections of “wicked problems” like childhood obesity and mass incarceration, as well as gain insight into programs and identify gaps, strengths, and connections. Nonprofits can use mind maps to visualize their most important supporters and identify relationships, while journalists can use them to display connections between politicians, lobbyists, and businesses in complex stories like political scandals. Mind mapping is an invaluable tool for tracking connections and identifying patterns and opportunities.

Organize your thoughts, for a talk, a blog post, a video or even a book you’re wanting to write. Mind mapping is especially great for content creation, whether you’re planning an annual report, social media or blog posts. Use mind mapping to create the larger categories and work your way out to hte specifics.

You can use mind maps in presentations but a word of caution: nothing can make an audience’s eyes glaze over or cause your co-workers to worry about your mental state like showing them an in-depth, complicated mind map. As in all communications, match your message with the audience. Simple, relevant and interesting are key.

Consider the power of mind mapping to understand or share a complicated story. For example, in 2008 at Heifer International we noticed a few thousand dollars in donations coming in from the blog of best-selling fantasy writer Patrick Rothfuss. We reached out and worked with him as, over years, he has raised from his fans well over $2 million for the organization. Here it is in the form of a mind map. Tell your cause’s story, from the beginning influences and founders, to current programs.

Mind mapping is a great tool, so play around with it and master it. As soon as you write your theme in the center, ideas will want to come out. You’re forced to begin by thinking, what are the main branches, the general areas to explore? New branches and sub-branches will follow, sometimes slowly but more often as quickly as you can draw them. Each new node generates its own new ideas. And in real life those ideas may help you change the world!