Tuesday's (2-12-08) Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/public/us) noted two events I want to hail as proof that a nonprofit's pursuit of its mission can and will pay off in time.

One story focused on the presence of PVC in toys and the probable danger such presence holds for kids who are likely to put such items in their mouths. While the Toy Industry Association says this isn't really a problem, nonprofits focused on this issue have spoken loud enough for Wal-Mart, Target and Sears to reduce their inventories of these items.

A second story noted Safeway's pursuit of a "new policy that will elevate animal welfare as a priority when buying the meat and eggs that line its shelves". According to the Journal, Safeway is "one of the U.S.'s largest grocery chains" so this is not a small step. Credited for influencing Safeway in this direction are animal rights groups PETA and the Human Society.

All in all, not a bad day in nonprofit land where some times, no, often times, it feels like the windmills will win.