Staff at the St Vincent De Paul Society in Sunshine found the cash stashed inside the pockets of four men's jackets when sorting through collection bin donations on January 20.

Sunshine Police Sergeant Brett Butterworth said he hoped the money was not someone's life savings.

"It's unfortunate that a kindly gesture has ended in this way," he said.

"We're doing all we can to find the owner, so we can return their cash to them."

It is believed the jackets were placed in a charity bin and collected on either the Friday, Saturday or Sunday prior to January 20.

Anyone with any information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report via www.crimestoppersvic.com.au/