About Us
Joy Margin is the culmination of more than three decades spent developing economic models to understand how value is created in communities.
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That journey has reinforced our belief in rigorous measurement, but it has also taught us where measurement reaches its limits.
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For more than two decades, social value frameworks have helped organisations demonstrate their impact. They have provided evidence of economic benefit, influenced funding decisions, and helped shift attention towards outcomes that matter.
But they have also created a growing problem: an increasing reliance on assigning financial values to deeply human experiences that cannot be accurately computed.
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These outcomes matter profoundly, but they are often reduced to speculative proxy values and assumptions that struggle to withstand scrutiny.
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Confidence. Belonging. Participation. Friendship. Dignity. Joy.
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Because some outcomes should be measured and some should be witnessed
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Meet the Team
Ian McCleave
Director and Founder
Ian McCleave is a social impact specialist who has spent more than three decades exploring the relationship between economic systems and human outcomes.
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This thinking led to the development of the Joy Margin Framework, combining impact measurement and economic evidence with documentary storytelling. The result is a more complete picture of social value: one that respects both the spreadsheet and the human experience behind it.
ian@joymargin.com
Keir McCleave
Creative Director
Keir McCleave is a filmmaker and graduate of Solent University. Having worked alongside community organisations for many years, he believes the most powerful stories are often the ones hidden behind the data, and that documentary film has a unique ability to bring those stories to life.
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At Joy Margin, his work focuses on creating authentic films that reveal the confidence, connections, participation and personal transformations that social projects make possible.
keir@joymargin.com