“I don’t trust anyone that doesn’t laugh.” -Maya Angelou

Biography

Street view with a large mural on a brick wall displaying the words 'Plot Plan, Strategize, Organize, Mobilize' in bright letters. There are street signs, parked cars, trash bins covered in graffiti, parking meters, and trees casting shadows on the sidewalk.

I’m Kyson Bunthuwong (ze/he), a resource-mobilization strategist, advisor, and facilitator working at the intersection of philanthropy, systems change, and humane leadership.

I partner with nonprofit organizations, networks, and movement leaders navigating complexity—supporting them to build fundraising strategies, development systems, and organizational practices that are rigorous, sustainable, and deeply human. I blend craftsmanship and care: honoring fundraising fundamentals while encouraging thoughtful experimentation, clarity, and long-term resilience.

Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked across the social sector, including international development, collective giving, strategic partnerships, corporate social responsibility, and large-scale fundraising campaigns. I’ve led and advised development efforts at national and global organizations such as AAPI LEAD, Philanthropy Together, myAgro, Village Enterprise, and the Taproot Foundation, and previously served as a Senior Director at CCS Fundraising, partnering with nonprofits on transformative campaigns and growth strategies.

I bring deep, in-the-trenches experience—building teams, designing systems, and working alongside leaders through periods of growth, constraint, and transition. I’m especially drawn to complex, national-scale challenges where strategy, culture, and people must move together. Through working with clients from all walks of life, I’ve come to believe that leadership is not about heroics, but about creating conditions where people can do meaningful work—without losing themselves in the process.

Outside of client work, my personal philanthropy is rooted in collective care and community accountability through Lacuna, a queer AAPI giving circle funding grassroots social justice organizations. I’ve also served on boards and advisory groups within education and athletics, including my alma mater at UC Berkeley.

I currently live between Thailand and the U.S., finding joy in rooting myself in community wherever I am and learning from how different places organize leadership, care, and collective action.