Press Releases

Take Me Fishing Wins ASAE Gold Circle Award
TakeMeFishing.org Honored for Excellence and Innovation in Association Communications
TakeMeFishing.org Wins Gold Circle Award

ALEXANDRIA, VA (August 11, 2009) – The Take Me Fishing™ campaign Web site received a 2009 Gold Circle Award from the American Society of Association Executives & The Center for Association Leadership (ASAE & The Center) for excellence and innovation in association communications, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) announced today. TakeMeFishing.org, the most comprehensive boating and fishing Web site available nationwide, was honored in the Issue Specific Web Site category.

“This is an outstanding accomplishment for RBFF,” said President and CEO Frank Peterson. “We’re pleased to be recognized by our peers and ASAE for our work that inspires participation in boating and fishing and protects our nation’s waterways and fisheries.”

Since re-launching the site in April 2008 with a new design, improved navigation and enhanced usability, TakeMeFishing.org has received more than 3.6 million unique visitors. The site’s social network, FishingtonThe Fishing & Boating Capital of the Internet, currently hosts more than 52,000 members. And an interactive game called “Catch A Boat,” which was launched during National Fishing & Boating Week in June, ‘reeled in’ more than 46,000 participants.

“Communications is a critical function for any association because it is the primary means for sharing information internally with staff and members as well as with external audiences,” said ASAE & The Center President and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE. “Winners of the Gold Circle Award competition have taken their projects to the next level, integrating the fundamentals of effective communications with elements of creativity, design, technology, innovation and metrics to measure effectiveness of their tactics.”

The annual competition selects associations and nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated excellence in communication within a number of categories, including annual reports, magazines, newsletters, blogs, podcasts, innovative communications and others. This year, the competition received more than 300 entries including a record-setting number of digital format entries. For a complete description of all categories, divisions and other information about the Gold Circle Award program, visit www.asaecenter.org/goldcircle.

About RBFF
RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources. RBFF helps people discover, share and protect the legacy of boating and fishing through national outreach programs including the Take Me Fishing™ campaign and Anglers’ Legacy™.