Other terms could have been used, but they would not have been any more intuitively clear. Here is another chance for confusion. Restricted is the term with possible confusion. In SFAS 116 and 117 parlance, restricted is used only for donor imposed restrictions. Organizations will have to maintain accounting records to satisfy the grantor resources were used properly even if the general purpose financial statements do not report grants as restricted.
Business enterprises have a similar requirement for their government contracts.
In the first exposure draft leading up to No. 116, the term pledge was used. Unconditional means the fulfillment of the promise depends only upon passage of time or demand by the organization. The first is whether there has been a promise. If the organization is unsure if the donor promised to give, an indication the donor intended to give is considered a promise if it is legally enforceable. Legal enforceability does not depend on the organization's intent to use its legal remedies.