The Swansea Unitarian Church appealed for information after they found their locked collection box, situated outside of the church had been tampered with. The church annually sets up a crib scene and asks for donations, which it then donates to a local charity.
Lynn Evans, chairperson of the church, said: "We've been raising money for local charities through our Christmas crib appeal every Christmas for decades and were very sad to discover the theft, which we think took place on Christmas Eve."
Although they do not know how much had been raised before the theft, they had hoped to raise the money through online crowdfunding to provide support for the homeless.
The initial target of £100 was raised within a few hours so the church increased their target to £200. However, 50 supporters had donated over £600 well within 24 hours.
They intend to donate the money to support homeless people in Swansea, through the charity Matthew's House.
According to their fundraising page, Swansea Unitarian Church is an open-minded, liberal and welcoming congregation on the High Street, in the heart of Swansea.
Their Facebook page says that the police are investigating but unfortunately there is little chance of retrieving the money stolen. They also say that the Nativity scene itself was not damaged.
The appeal has been reported by Sky News and the Facebook post has been shared over 60 times.